Flashback: Harry Allwood selects his top ten racing moments of 2019

The past 12 months in the racing world have not disappointed and we were once again treated to some tremendous performances and moments on the Flat and over jumps.

From one of the greatest jump jockeys of all time retiring to Khadijah Mellah creating history, here are my top ten moments of 2019.

Bryony Frost hit the headlines when she became the first woman to ride a Grade One winner over jumps at the Cheltenham Festival aboard Frodon in the Ryanair Chase.

Paul Nicholls was going to run his seven-year-old in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but instead opted for this extended 2m4f contest in which Frodon and Frost got into a great rhythm out in front and battled bravely to score by a length and a quarter.

There were great scenes in the winner’s enclosure afterwards as Frost, a real crowd pleaser, returned to a rapturous applause from the racegoers at Prestbury Park.

As ever, Frost was full of praise for Frodon. She said: "We had to be brave. Every time he's won, he's won by being the bravest. He grabs a hold and he tells you to give it to him. Down to the last we were beat.

"It was just incredible. I can't explain how much I love that horse."

Star stayer Paisley Park recorded a fairytale victory for his connections when storming home to win the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Owned by Andrew Gemmell, who has been blind from birth, Emma Lavelle’s seven-year-old enjoyed the perfect season winning his first four starts, including the JLT Hurdle and Cleeve Hurdle.

Sent off the 11-8 favourite, Paisley Park his his usual flatspot around a mile from home before the turbo kicked in and he eventually sliced his way through the field before surviving a scare at the last.

"This is fantastic and a real dream for me. I cannot believe it has happened,” Gemmell told Racing TV’s Lydia Hislop afterwards.

Paisley Park is a best-priced 6-4 to win his second Stayers’ Hurdle in March and has the right profile to dominate this division for years to come.

Tiger Roll became the first horse since Red Rum to win back-to-back renewals of the Grand National in April, 46 years since Red Rum claimed the first of his three victories in the world's most famous steeplechase.

It was a tremendous performance from a horse who was memorably described as “a little rat of a thing” after his victory in the iconic race in 2018.

An understandably emotional Gordon Elliott, who first won the Grand National with Silver Birch in 2007, said: "I don't get upset too often, but I'm emotional today. For my whole yard and everyone involved it's unbelievable - you dream about this.

Tiger Roll’s victory also hit the bookies for six as they described it as the “most expensive result in Grand National history” after the 4-1 favourite scored by two and three-quarter lengths.

Will Tiger Roll bid for the hat-trick in 2020? Let’s hope so!

Ruby Walsh, one of the greatest jump jockeys of all time, shocked the racing world when he announced his immediate retirement from the saddle after riding Kemboy to victory in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

It was a decision that would not have been easy given the amount of superstars Walsh was riding at the time and being number one jockey to Willie Mullins. However, he said afterwards he had been contemplating the decision for a while. Walsh said:

“In my own mind I probably came to the decision last summer. I thought that I might get out on Rathvinden in the Grand National, but Tiger Roll got in the way and I’d have been kicking myself if I had passed on the opportunity to go out on Kemboy."

Walsh’s 24-year riding career produced plenty of highs and lows, but the 12-time Irish champion said he felt “lucky” to have walked away in one piece and to have ridden the likes of Kauto Star, Hurricane Fly, Master Minded, Faugheen, Annie Power and Vautour.

Enable got her season off to a flying start in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, her first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf in November 2018.

Some punters were against the superstar mare with is being her seasonal debut and meeting race-fit rivals, but that did not stop her from recording her eighth Group One victory.

A delighted Frankie Dettori said afterwards: "She's special and she touches me. When she comes racing the lights come on. I love her so much. She's the queen of racing and the best I’ve ridden "

John Gosden’s five-year-old won the King George and Yorkshire Oaks on her next two starts, the same two races she was victorious in before landing her first Arc.

However, the hat-trick was not meant to be for Enable as she was denied by the fast-finishing Waldgeist in the ParisLongchamp feature.

Fingers crossed all goes smoothly during her campaign as a six-year-old and she returns to France to bid for the hat-trick once again.

Khadijah Mellah created history at Goodwood in August when she became the first rider to race in a hijab in Britain and guided Haverland to a fairytale victory in the Magnolia Cup.

Her story hit the headlines afterwards and her achievement certainly didn’t go unnoticed in the media plus a film – Riding A Dream – was produced to show exactly what the 18-year-old achieved.

Mellah was almost lost for words after. She said: "There are no words to describe it. I can't believe it, to be fair.

"I'm just so glad everyone is here to support me and that Haverland did well and he is OK. He is such an amazing horse and I love him so much.” Mellah was also a special guest on Luck On Sunday this year which you can watch again below.

Stradivarius scooped a £1million bonus for the second year runningwhen recording his ninth successive cup win in the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup at York.

John Gosden’s superstar showed his usual guts and determination to defeat Dee Ex Bee in the Group Two contest and land the huge bonus.

Proud owner Bjorn Nielsen said: "I've said before that I started out trying to breed a Derby horse and I've ended up with him, but you couldn't have a horse better than him, even if you won a Derby. "He's a rare beast, to win what has.”

All credit must go to Gosden and his team for keeping their star stayer in peak condition and earn two big pay days in successive years.

It looks as though we saw a superstar emerge on the Flat in 2019 in the shape of Pinatubo who created a huge impression on all six of his starts, including this impressive victory in the National Stakes at the Curragh.

It was a freakish performance from the Godolphin-owned colt who demolished some of the best two-year-olds in training and the way he put the race to bed was hugely impressive.

Charlie Appleby and William Buick could not find enough superlatives following his nine-length victory. Buick said:

“It was a top-class performance and everything that he has done and that has been said afterwards points to it being a special performance.”

The youngster is the general 11-10 favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and deservedly so after ending his campaign with victory in the Dewhurst Stakes plus he is the highest-rated juvenile in 25 years.

Sir A P McCoy rolled back the years when getting the better of old nemesis Ruby Walsh aboard Quizical in the the Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland at the Curragh during Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

Ruby Walsh, AP McCoy, Paul Carberry, Charlie Swan, Joseph O’Brien, Johnny Murtagh, Richard Hughes, Kieren Fallon and Ted Durcan all lined up in the charity event organised by Pat Smullen which raised over £2.5million.

The race produced a thrilling finish in which McCoy made all aboard his mount and there were great scenes afterwards as the 20-time champion jockey celebrated his victory.

Smullen said he was “overwhelmed” by the amount of support received from the industry. He said: “I never dreamed that we would reach a figure like this and it is a tribute to the kind nature of everyone in the racing and breeding industry – I am overwhelmed!

“Sunday at the Curragh was a special day and a huge ‘thank you’ to everybody who came along.

It is not often you get days like the day on Racing TV on a cold Wednesday afternoon in November. However, there were some hilarious moments throughout the day and Tom Stanley got the ball rolling by mocking Nick Luck’s gloves!

A presenter also helped a racegoer sort out a wardrobe malfunction during a live interview on the channel before Nick Luck did his best impression of Frankie Dettori!

It was not the only day there were a handful of bloopers on Racing TV, either. Check out some hilarious moments below which are certain to put a smile on your faces!