THIS is the final issue of the paper until Saturday, January 4th. A new year and a new decade will have been heralded by then and it is the time to wish everyone well for the year and years ahead.

Last weekend and in this issue we have been looking back at highlights of 2019, of which there have been many. In spite of many pressures on our sport and industry, there were no end of reasons to celebrate over the last 12 months. The ups and downs for me, on the racing front, were most vividly portrayed by the story of one horse, Espoir D’Allen.