However, it wasn't a flawless year for racing. The sport's poster boy, Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, was given a six-month ban earlier this month after failing a drugs test in France.

The three-time champion, who earlier announced the end of his long tenure with the Godolphin stable, said it was not a performance-enhancing substance.

"He's admitted it was a moment of madness," Bazalgette said. "It's a shame. He's an important face in horse racing."

"When it comes to talking to the media, jockeys are a bit of a challenge. These guys are living and breathing the sport, putting in a huge number of hours. They can be difficult to pin down."

Far better recognized were celebrity owners such as TV entertainers Ant and Dec, actress Judi Dench and Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Frankel's trainer Henry Cecil, who is battling cancer, was also "hugely loved," Bazalgette added.

Ladies' Day

One jockey not shying away from the camera this year was Canadian Chantal Sutherland.

The 36-year-old made history after becoming the first woman to compete in the world's richest horse race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup, in March.

But the model perhaps garnered more attention off the track for her naked photoshoot on a horse in Vanity Fair in June.

Sutherland, who did much to raise the profile of female jockeys in a traditionally male-dominated sport, retired in October. Not just a pretty face, she had more than 900 wins in a career spanning 12 years.

A weighty issue

Sutherland said she was now looking forward to "cutting loose and having a cheeseburger or some pizza."

"Those types of indulgences are not allowed when you constantly have to monitor your weight," she added.

Jockeys are put under enormous pressure to meet miniature weight requirements, with sweat suits, saunas, hot baths and starvation are some of the methods used to keep trim.

But some relief is in sight -- albeit slight -- after the British Horseracing Authority last month raised the minimum weight by two pounds to 8 stone (50 kg), from January next year.

International highlights

Across the Atlantic, the winner of the United States' premier race, the Kentucky Derby, was denied the chance of a Triple Crown after being forced to retire ahead of the Belmont Stakes.

I'll Have Another developed a foreleg injury that trainer Doug O'Neill described as "freakish."

The three-year-old had been seeking to be the first horse in 34 years to win the treble, having triumphed at the 138th Kentucky showpiece in May and then the Preakness Stakes.

Racing authorities also confirmed that the legendary Secretariat set a record time in winning the 1973 Preakness event, ending a controversy that had lasted almost four decades.