Henry de Bromhead once again bagged the biggest prize in jump racing in 2022 but the year will forever be remembered for the tragic loss of his son Jack, which rocked the sport.
The highs of winning a horse race pale into insignificance when compared with the ultimate depths of losing a child.
Young Jack de Bromhead was aged just 13 years old when taking a fatal fall in a pony race at Glenbeigh in September.
It was a heartbreaking end to a promising young life and the strength and composure shown by the de Bromhead family in the aftermath was remarkable considering the horror they had been faced with.
On the racecourse the year revolved around Cheltenham as always and the Gold Cup again found it's way to Knockeen in Co Waterford.
A Plus Tard had chased home stablemate Minella Indo in the blue riband event 12 months previously but reversed that form in emphatic fashion.
The Kapgarde gelding produced one of the most authoritative displays in recent years when sprinting clear in the closing stages to post a 15-length victory under Rachael Blackmore.
A year is a long time in sport though and a cloud now hangs over him.
He ran a shocker in the Betfair Chase, when pulling up, on his return to action at Haydock and his chance at redemption at Leopardstown was dashed due to a late injury.
De Bromhead and Blackmore remarkably bagged both the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle for the second year running as the brilliant Honeysuckle struck again in the two-mile highlight.
Again her air of invincibility was punctured in the new campaign as she suffered her first ever defeat in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
It's a bit soon to be writing her off though and it will be interesting to see where she goes next March with a switch back to the Mares Hurdle being mooted.
Willie Mullins's dominance showed no signs of abating in 2022 and he broke into double figures for the week at Cheltenham with an incredible tally of 10 winners.
That should have been 11 but for an agonising last fence fall by Galopin Des Champs when he was well clear in the Turners Novice Chase.
Mullins filled the last notable gap in his glittering CV when Energumene cemented his place as the best two-miler around with a commanding success in the Champion Chase.
Allaho once again proved imperious in the Ryanair Chase while a new star was born when Facile Vega took the Champion Bumper with ease.
The Closutton handler seems to be stacked in every division with top class horses emerging on a yearly basis.
Vauban looked one of the best winners of the Triumph Hurdle in recent years and Sir Gerhard justified his short price with a cosy win in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle.
Six of the ten winners came in Grade 1 company with The Nice Guy maintaining his unbeaten record in the Albert Bartlett.
It was Irish domination once again at the festival with 18 winners and all five championship races claimed by the raiders.
Other highlights included back-to-back wins in the Stayers Hurdle for Flooring Porter and a dramatic finish to the cross-country with Tiger Roll going out on his sword as he chased home stablemate Delta Work.
The most impressive winner of the week though came for the home team with the stunning success of Constitution Hill in the very first race, the Supreme Novices Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson's charge blew away his rivals in a hotly contested renewal, posting a 22-length win over stablemate Jonbon.
Following the defeat of Honeysuckle in December the Blue Bresil gelding is now a very short price to claim the Champion Hurdle come next March.
His main rival would appear to be the Mullins' trained State Man who has cemented his place as a real challenger with two top level successes this campaign.
He ended the winning streak of stablemate Sharjah in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown and goes from strength to strength.
The Grand National never fails to deliver and this year saw 50/1 winner Noble Yeats give amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen a dream send off on the biggest stage.
Emmet Mullins again proved the man for the big moment as he expertly guided his charge to peak at the right time.
On just his second outing since being sold to the Waley-Cohens the seven-year-old saw off the attentions of Any Second Now to land a famous win, leading home a 1-2-3 for Irish raiders.
One of the best stories of the year was the meteoric rise of the 'Shark' Hanlon-trained Hewick.
The €850 purchase proved a real fairytale for connections as he rose through the ranks to emerge as a lively Gold Cup contender.
His first significant victory came in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April and he went on to bag the highlight of the summer jumping campaign, the Galway Plate.
The win that grabbed the most headlines however was a audacious raid on the American Grand National at Far Hills in October.
If he never wins another race the unfashionably bred son of Virtual has achieved more than could ever have been dreamed but Hanlon is not resting on his laurels with Cheltenham now on his mind.
Davy Russell kept his retirement plans quiet as he hung up his boots at a low-key meeting in Thurles just before Christmas.
The 43-year-old was one of the very best of his generation in the saddle with numerous big race victories on a glittering CV.
The three-time champion jockey will forever be linked with dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll but tasted victory in plenty of other top level races.
Success on Lord Windermere in the 2013 Gold Cup was one of the greatest rides in recent years while an Irish Champion Hurdle on Solwhit and a Ryanair Chase on Balko Des Flos were among other notable wins.
Thankfully Russell rides off into the sunset on his own terms having suffered some serious injuries in recent years.
