Denman and Master Minded dominated while Ballydoyle carried all before them on the Flat.
Super-filly Zarkava lights up a glittering year
The year 2008 saw some sensational performances both on the Flat and over fences, with the emergence of Denman and Master Minded highlighting the winter code while Aidan O'Brien once again dominated the summer action.
Cheltenham provided more drama than ever before, not least because of the postponement of the second day's action - meaning a bonanza 10-race card on day three followed by a nine-race feast on the Friday.
Inglis Drever brought the house down with a third victory in the World Hurdle while Kauto Star and Denman dominated the build-up to the Gold Cup, although it turned out to be a one-horse race.
Katchit became the first five-year-old to win the Champion Hurdle for more than 20 years and Master Minded emerged as the dominant force over two miles with a sensational victory in the Champion Chase.
Comply Or Die gave trainer David Pipe and jockey Timmy Murphy their first successes in the Grand National, and when attention was turned to the Flat Ballydoyle quickly dominated proceedings.
Henrythenavigator and Duke Of Marmalade went on winning streaks of four and five respectively - all Group Ones - while Look Here gave Ralph Beckett his first Classic winner in the Oaks.
Sir Michael Stoute finally won the St Leger when Frankie Dettori drove Conduit to a clear cut victory while Ryan Moore became champion jockey.
Horse of the year (Flat) - Zarkava
After winning the French 1000 Guineas at a canter, an imperious display in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) marked Zarkava out as being a truly top-class filly.
The Aga Khan's horse then stepped up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time with victory in the Prix Vermeille, overcoming a slow start to destroy her rivals with a telling late burst.
But what followed in the Arc was its equal as she made a clutch of top middle-distance animals look blindingly ordinary, and her success throughout the year was given added lustre by her super-confident jockey Christophe Soumillon.
With nothing else to prove, time was called on the career of Andre de Royre-Dupre's filly, who signed off unbeaten in seven races.
"Zarkava has been a beautiful story," said the trainer, and few would disagree.
Horse of the year (Jumps) - Denman
Without a doubt, the one horse that took the National Hunt season by storm was Denman, who demolished everything put in his path and crowned an unbeaten term with victory over Kauto Star in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Indeed, the powerful eight-year-old remains undefeated over fences and has suffered defeat just once in 14 career starts, finishing second at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.
Paul Nicholls' chaser set the tone for the season in the Hennessy Gold Cup last year but it was his crushing defeat of former champion Kauto Star that set him apart from anything we have seen in recent years.
In a race billed as a head-to-head, Denman never gave his stablemate and rival a look-in, drawing the finishing kick out of last year's winner and galloping relentlessly to a convincing win under Sam Thomas.
Disappointingly, Denman was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat during autumn and was unable to bid for a second successive Hennessy, although the long-term prognosis suggests he should return as good as ever in 2009.
Trainer of the year - Aidan O'Brien
Duke Of Marmalade's Prix Ganay triumph in April triggered a sequence of events which saw top-level victories return to County Tipperary virtually every weekend of the racing calendar.
The brilliant Duke was chief architect behind the O'Brien gold rush, having clocked up another four Group Ones - including in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July.
Henrythenavigator also weighed in with four of the best, which encompassed the English and Irish 2000 Guineas, while the likes of Septimus and Frozen Fire traded Classic blows as if they were soon to be outmoded.
And then there was Yeats, who became the first horse since Sagaro to land three Ascot Gold Cups to provide the highlight of the Royal meeting.
O'Brien claimed a total of 23 Group One wins, and became only the second trainer in history to clinch a sweep of the Irish Classics. A truly unforgettable year.
Jockey of the year - Johnny Murtagh
Murtagh was already a rider of the highest quality when he was given the call to replace Kieren Fallon as top jockey at Ballydoyle, but 2008 saw him excel time and again.
Along with O'Brien, the Irishman enjoyed unrivalled success at the highest level, teaming up with the outstanding Henrythenavigator, Duke Of Marmalade plus top stayers Yeats and Septimus for more than a dozen Group One wins.
Murtagh also claimed top jockey accolade at Royal Ascot, never relinquishing the lead after winning the opening Queen Anne Stakes on Haradasun.
His strength and style in a finish was in evidence on numerous occasions and the one down side to the season was being banned for team-tactics aboard Duke Of Marmalade in the re-arranged Juddmonte Stakes at Newmarket. However, backed by the powerful Ballydoyle yard, 2009 promises to be another fantastic season for the jockey of the past 12 months.
A year to remember - Timmy Murphy
Grand National victory for Timmy Murphy was arguably the crowning moment in a career that hit rock bottom with a jail term for assaulting an air stewardess in 2002.
Of course, Murphy quickly rose from the ashes of his former alcohol-fuelled life to become one the best jockeys of his generation, but success in one of racing's 'blue riband' races had so far eluded him.
In Comply Or Die, he knew he had a partner capable of landed the toughest test of them all. Like Murphy, the horse had slipped into the wilderness following a crashing fall and subsequent loss of form, but was nursed back to health by trainer David Pipe.
Backed into joint-favouritism on the day of the race, Comply Or Die was given a copybook ride round Aintree by the Irishman, who had everything in hand and enough up his sleeve to repel King Johns Castle on the long run-in.
It was a thrilling victory and Murphy at his very best.
A year to forget - Dean McKeown
Allegations of race-fixing and corruption continues to dog the sport, with a British Horseracing Authority investigation resulting in trainer Paul Blockley and jockey Dean McKeown being warned-off.
McKeown later quit the saddle after being found guilty under the 'non-triers' rule of not allowing a horse to run on its merits while awaiting appeal, which was subsequently turned down.
The BHA in November announced it had concluded its investigation into a separate case of corruption although it continues to look into evidence brought up at last year's trial at the Old Bailey brought by the City Of London Police, which collapsed leading to the acquittal of Kieren Fallon and others.
While the seemingly unending investigations mean the sport is being policed more closely than ever, a cloud continues to hang over the integrity of racing.
Performance of the year - Master Minded
Master Minded came from France with an enormous reputation and served notice of his talent by defeating Voy Por Ustedes a month prior to the Cheltenham Festival.
However, on 6lb better terms and back at his beloved Cheltenham, Voy Por was made a marginal favourite to land back-to-back victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. He didn't even come close.
Master Minded's demolition of the reigning champion was so devastating that it left Festival regulars rubbing their eyes, Ruby Walsh sitting motionless on the run-in as his partner pulled 19 lengths clear of his rival with a further 16 back to the rest.
At five years of age, in just his fourth race over British fences, Master Minded had just become officially the best National Hunt horse in training.
So long, farewell - Kicking King
Connections of the former Cheltenham Gold Cup and dual King George VI Chase winner finally admitted the once-great chaser would never regain his old form, announcing his retirement in November.
A marvellous-looking horse, he rarely ran a poor race and proved his talent at an early stage, finishing second on his first two visits to the Cheltenham Festival in the Supreme Novices Hurdle and Arkle Trophy.
But just nine months after chasing home Well Chief over two miles, Tom Taaffe's six-year-old stormed to the top of the chasing tree with a thrilling victory in the King George, taking over at halfway and overcoming a monumental blunder at the last to beat Kingscliff and Azertyuiop.
Capitalising on the absence of Best Mate, Kicking King then stormed to victory in the Gold Cup as he jumped and galloped his rivals into the ground, allaying any stamina doubts in the process.
However, he was never seen in quite the same form again despite landing the King George at Sandown later in 2005, when he scrambled home by a neck from Monkerhostin, after which he was diagnosed with a career-ending tendon injury.
But despite being brought back into training more than two years later, his ability had clearly waned during the time off and he failed to win in five further attempts.
But those spectacular victories at Kempton and Cheltenham mark him down as one of the best chasers of the past two decades.
