This was a year to cherish, but what does 2020 have in store for racing?
According to the pollsters, Britain is one of the most pessimistic countries in the world. Whether we're being asked about politics, the economy or our personal prospects for the future, it seems the default setting for most is gloom and despondency.
Does the same apply to racing? As we raise a glass to the beginning of a new year at midnight tonight, it is customary to reflect on the 12 months just passed, and to ponder the 12 ahead of us. What will they have in store? Should we be optimistic, or is the horizon packed with storm clouds?
Looking back, 2019 held its fair share of scraps, skirmishes and shambles, but what stands out is not the arguments or the absurdities, but the cavalcade of human and equine heroes who made this year great.
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- We know that times are tight - but racecourses really do need to step up and improve outdated weighing rooms
- The budget has heaped even more trouble on racing - and I fear many trainers will now decide the numbers just don't add up
- Why I think Cheltenham Festival handicaps need to change - JP McManus writes exclusively for the Racing Post
- No-one has ever emerged from the womb wearing a trilby - racing's future survival hangs on pursuing a young audience
- Four score and ten just a number to Peter Harris as July Cup triumph shows there's more to the elderly than medical conditions