In racing we are constantly looking forward to the next big race. The carnival never stops, from Cheltenham to Dubai, from the Curragh to Flemington.

Often we don't take time to reflect on some of the golden moments. So, just before we say goodbye to 2016, let's look back at some great racing moments from the past year.

KILLULTAGH VIC, CORAL.IE NOVICE CHASE, LEOPARDSTOWN, JANUARY 17th

We start with an amazing recovery by Ruby Walsh. Killultagh Vic went off the 2/7 favourite but all looked lost when he slithered to the ground after jumping the final fence. "He'll never recover from that!" boomed commentator Dessie Scahill. Well, let's see what happened ...

ANNIE POWER, CHAMPION HURDLE, CHELTENHAM, MARCH 15th

We move on to Cheltenham and it's Ruby again, this time on Annie Power in the Champion Hurdle. "I told Willie I'd ride her like Dawn Run," the jockey later revealed. Annie has certainly earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Dawn Run. This was a real show of Power.

SPRINTER SACRE, CHAMPION CHASE, CHELTENHAM, MARCH 16th

Possibly the highlight of the entire Cheltenham Festival, Sprinter Sacre brought down the house when regaining his crown in the Champion Chase. The black aeroplane was retired later in the year but will never be forgotten by racing fans.

DON COSSACK, GOLD CUP, CHELTENHAM, MARCH 18th

Trainer Gordon Elliott has achieved a huge amount of success in a relatively short training career. The support of Gigginstown House Stud has undoubtedly been a huge help to him and he repaid that faith when delivering a Gold Cup win with Don Cossack. It was also a special moment for jockey Bryan Cooper who had often found himself on the wrong horse in the big races.

ROGUE ANGEL, IRISH GRAND NATIONAL, FAIRYHOUSE, MARCH 28th

"And straight into the lead goes Rogue Angel," calls the commentator as they set off on the 3m 5f journey on Easter Monday. Fast forward to 6m 50sec and Ger Fox's mount has kicked clear of the field. But Ruby Walsh is stalking the leader on Bless The Wings and looks certain to win as they touch the front jumping the final fence. Somehow, Rogue Angel digs deep and fights back. As the 16/1 shot edges to the front near the post, Dessie Scahill screams: "This is as brave a performance as you will ever see in the National!" Little did we know then that this was just the first part of a sensational Grand National double for trainer Mouse Morris.

AWTAAD, IRISH 2000 GUINEAS, THE CURRAGH, MAY 21st

The partnership of trainer Kevin Prendergast and jockey Chris Hayes are one of the most popular in Irish racing. When they landed the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh it was rightly recognised as on the great stories of the season. Prendergast had won the race once before, exactly 40 years earlier, with Northern Treasure. "A lot of lads weren't born then," remarked the trainer. We know what he means.

HARZAND, DERBY, EPSOM, JUNE 4th

It simply wasn't right that Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen could go through their careers without winning an Epsom Derby. Harzand put the record straight for them - but only after coming through an injury scare on the morning of the race. The Aga Khan-owned colt would go on to win the Irish Derby.

LADY AURELIA, QUEEN MARY STAKES, ROYAL ASCOT, JUNE 15th

Even six months later, the performance of Lady Aurelia at Royal Ascot leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. How did the American filly set off so fast and then accelerate again in the closing stages? And on rain-softened ground too. It really was out of this world.

ALMANZOR, IRISH CHAMPION STAKES, LEOPARDSTOWN, SEPTEMBER 10th

It was billed as the race of the season and it lived up to the hype. Eight Group 1 winners lined up for the Irish Champion Stakes - it would have been 10 but Fasincating Rock and The Grey Gatsby were late scratchings. The pace was fierce and it set up perfectly for the French raider Almanzor, who cut them all down in the straight to win from Found and Minding. The form simply could not have worked out any better.

FOUND, PRIX DE L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE, CHANTILLY, OCTOBER 2nd

Aidan O'Brien trained 22 Group 1 winners in 2016 but the one everyone will remember was the Arc. That remarkable racemare Found led home a 1-2-3 for Ballydoyle, a feat never achieved in the race's near 100-year history. And then there's was that kiss between Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore!

MINDING - QEII STAKES, ASCOT, OCTOBER 15th

A haul of five Group 1 wins in 2016 saw Minding crowned Horse of the Year in both Ireland and Britain. Some of us were sceptical of her achievements during the season as she raced only against fillies, but she earned universal respect with this defeat of the top male milers at Ascot in October. She stays in training next year.

ALMANDIN, MELBOURNE CUP, FLEMINGTON, NOVEMBER 1st

And so to Melbourne on the first Tuesday in November for the race that stops a nation. Irish racefans will remember this race for Heartbreak City's narrow defeat. What a performance by Tony Martin's six-year-old, having never previously run in a stakes race of any kind. The winner, Almandin, also provided a great storyline. The European export had missed over two years with a tendon injury and was expertly placed by his new connections in the lead-up to a truly thrilling Melbourne Cup.

BEHOLDER, BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF, SANTA ANITA, NOVEMBER 5th

Two great mares served up an epic finish to the Breeders' Cup Distaff. The previously unbeaten Songbird, a three-year-old, and the veteran Beholder settled down for a street-fight in the stretch. A dead-heat would have been the right result but Beholder, in the final race of her career, got there by a nose. It must have been hard to take for the runner-up's jockey Mike Smith but his fortunes would take a turn for the better very soon ...

ARROGATE, BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC, SANTA ANITA, NOVEMBER 6th

"The best is yet to come", they sing before the Breeders' Cup Classic every year and it proved an accurate prediction in 2016. Local favourite California Chrome had it all his own way in front and it was hard to see how the three-year-old Arrogate could close the gap off the home turn. Even at the 16th pole (110yds from the finish) 'Chrome' looks sure to hold on but then Arrogate conjures up a late surge that takes him to the front just in time. What a rematch this will be in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on January 28th, 2017.

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