Brighten your day with these feel-good stories from the year

Every year has its ups and downs, and 2018 was no different – but with Christmas just around the corner, we look back on the best of the past 12 months.

Romance alive and kicking at Seven Barrows

It takes a lot to keep Nicky Henderson off the racecourse, but the champion trainer made an exception in January when missing Lanzarote Hurdle day at Kempton – so he could get married.

Henderson, who fielded a number of strong contenders at the meeting, instead ventured to Scotland to tie the knot with long-term partner Sophie Waddilove.

"It will be a surprise to some people that I won't be at Kempton as that is the one place I always go to," said Henderson. "We're up in Scotland for our wedding. It's really cold - I won't be wearing a kilt!

"Unless the vicar is very fast, I will be struggling to watch the novice hurdle, in which we run Duke Debarry and Chef Des Obeaux, but I should be okay to watch the rest of our runners."

Chef Des Obeaux delivered a suitable wedding gift when besting his stablemate to win the novice hurdle, then William Henry provided the icing on the wedding cake when landing the 32Red Lanzarote Hurdle.

Kempton non-runner: Henderson plumps for wedding over racing

Just reward for hard-working head lass

Racing relies on its armies of stable staff working hard behind the scenes to keep the show on the road, so there was plenty to cheer about when one of the team received due reward at the sales.

Camilla Sharples, travelling head lass to Gordon Elliott, sold her winning point-to-pointer Andy Dufresne for £330,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Festival Sale in March – the six-figure sum was more than ten times her initial investment.

"It's amazing, I wasn't expecting that," she exclaimed. "Gordon helped source the horse for me and I had some savings I wanted to put into a horse, to see if I could make some money off it. It doesn't always work out but it has amazingly.

"I might buy a house. Gordon said I have to give him a year's notice if I'm going to leave him, so it had better be in Ireland!"

House-hunting next on Elliott groom's agenda after her pointer makes £330,000

Fairytale win for returning queen

Just because we want something to happen, doesn't mean it will – but in the case of Enable's stunning comeback, the outcome could not have been better as Khalid Abdullah's star filly landed a second Arc just three weeks after her seasonal debut.

While the win was no walk in the park – Newmarket rival Sea Of Class came within a whisker of reeling in her neighbour – Enable and Frankie Dettori gave racing the result it had hoped for at the newly-opened Longchamp, the pair having won at Chantilly 12 months earlier.

"This showed what a genius [trainer] John Gosden is," said Dettori. "He's won the Arc with a filly who hadn't run in 11 months. Two Arcs for the same horse at two different racetracks. I don't think that will ever be done again."

Frankie Dettori invites the crowd to salute dual Arc heroine EnableCredit: Edward Whitaker

As the Racing Post's David Jennings wrote: "The perfect place. The perfect race. The perfect result. The perfect racehorse. This was an Arc giftwrapped with greatness."

The perfect end to the perfect race as Enable lands second Arc

Year ends with best news possible

Of course, winning races is what the sport is all about, but in the real world there are matters of far greater concern, something thrown into sharp focus following the news champion jockey Pat Smullen had been diagnosed with cancer in March.

However, 2018 ends on an upbeat note following a positive bulletin from the Derby-winning rider, who recently underwent surgery to remove a tumour on his pancreas.

"The surgery went extremely well, and I'm very thankful for that, and every day is getting better," said Smullen. "I'm recovering well and I'm starting to get back into good shape.

"Everybody has been extremely supportive and it goes to show how great an industry this is that when the chips are down people rally around you – that has certainly been the case with me. A lot of people have been very helpful and it's nothing short of humbling."

Pat Smullen: 'A lot of people have been very helpful and it’s nothing short of humbling.'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

On his plans for Christmas, he added: "We've always enjoyed Christmas as I wasn't riding as much during this period throughout the past number of years. We have a young family and Christmas has always been an important time of year – I'm going to enjoy this Christmas an awful lot more than any other."

And rightly so.

Pat Smullen: I'm going to enjoy this Christmas an awful lot more than any other

Look back on the best jumps action of the year in the new edition of the Racing Post Annual. Click here to order or call 01933 304858