Racing: Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Denman has been named Horse of the Year honours at the Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards in London.
Paul Nicholls' powerhouse picked up the accolade for his exploits in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, Lexus Chase, Aon Chase and the totesport-sponsored blue riband, where he thumped the previous year's winner and stablemate Kauto Star.
Those towering performances earned him a rating of 182, but that wasn't the highest figure given out by the awards panel as that went to another Nicholls inmate in the shape of runaway Champion Chase winner Master Minded, who finished the season on a figure of 186.
The awards were decided by a panel of seven, headed by British Horseracing Authority head of handicapping Phil Smith and senior National Hunt handicapper of the Irish Turf Club, Noel O'Brien.
Denman also tops the champion three-mile chaser category having retained his unbeaten status over fences in his second year over larger obstacles.
O'Brien explained: "Denman has only been beaten once in his life and was highly progressive throughout the season.
"He won the Hennessy off top weight and then provided us with one of the most mouth-watering Gold Cups for years with the champion taking on the champion-in-waiting.
"Kauto Star wasn't at his best during the Gold Cup but Denman jumped brilliantly, forced the pace and was a worthy Gold Cup winner."
Kauto Star, who won three of the ratings-based awards last year, scored in one category this time with the King George winner being granted the title of Champion Two-And-A-Half-Mile Chaser.
"Watching that montage of Kauto brings a tear to my eye. It was brilliant that Denman won the Gold Cup, but the next day I was gutted that Kauto had got beat," Nicholls said today.
Nicholls was also on the stage to collect his Champion Trainer trophy from author Jilly Cooper, in addition to picking up Master Minded's Champion Two-Mile Chaser prize with owner Clive Smith.
Although beaten over two and a half miles at Aintree, Master Minded had bossed the field in his two previous starts before the Champion Chase, where he went on to beat the previous year's incumbent Voy Por Ustedes by 19 lengths.
O'Brien said: "His rating of 186 looks huge, even in comparison to Moscow Flyer who got 180. When we looked at the race we tried to bring the form down but couldn't and we couldn't see a flaw.
Owner Graham Wylie made two trips to the stage to collect the trophies for Champion Novice Chaser for Tidal Bay, and Champion Two-And-A-Half-Mile-plus Hurdler for triple Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner Inglis Drever.
Inglis Drever finished the year just ahead of Kasbah Bliss on 172, while Arkle winner Tidal Bay was given a mark of 166 - well ahead of nearest rival Takeroc on 157.
In the hurdling division, Noel Meade's Jered was crowned Champion Novice Hurdler on 155, while AIG Europe Hurdle hero Sizing Europe was crowned Champion Two-Mile Hurdler on 167.
Henry De Bromhead's charge came there full of running in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle only to quickly weaken with a subsequently-diagnosed injury, with the Cheltenham winner Katchit finishing the year just below on 166.