With the National Hunt season set to draw to a close with Saturday's bet365 Jump Finale, we hand out some awards to the stars of the campaign.
While Flat fans may rejoice in the news that the Guineas is just next week, followers of the jumps will enjoy one final day of top UK action with Jonbon and Kabral Du Mathan the notable runners.
It's been a compelling six months or so since the jumps really started ramping up in October and its brought with it numerous brilliant stories, as well as high-class performances.
We take a look at some of worthy of recognition...
Best trainer
Starting off with the obvious, this just has to be Dan Skelton.
Although the overwhelming majority of the Grade 1 horses remain with Willie Mullins, the Skelton operation gets the absolute best out of everything that comes through the yard and he will finally be crowned UK Champion Trainer on Saturday.
To overturn the might of Closutton is no joke and Skelton could yet become the first-ever trainer to surpass £5m in prize money when the weekend is done.
Best jockey
Sean Bowen and Jack Kennedy (barring accidents) will be crowned champion jockey in the UK & Ireland respectively over the next week, however, this particular award is heading the way of Paul Townend.
Whenever he is spoken about as the best jump jockey around, people often trot out the same lines: "He rides all the best horses" and "What do you expect, he works for Mullins?".
But, the simple fact is, he is only afforded that position because of the talent he possesses.
The expectation to win brings with it a certain pressure that only certain sportspeople can perform under and his 2026 haul of a Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Gold Cup and Grand National prove that he is made for the top-level.
Best chaser
A tough category this year, but Gaelic Warrior's special Gold Cup performance gets him the nod over the likes of huge improvers Panic Attack and Thistle Ask.
He started the season off with a bang in the John Durkan but back-to-back defeats threatened to see his campaign fizzle out disappointingly.
However, he showed up and then some on the biggest day of all, putting up one of the all-time great displays in the Gold Cup to score by a widening eight lengths.
It's not very often you see a race like that won in such bloodless fashion and that makes him hard to ignore.
Best hurdler
The list of horses that are getting better at 11 years old wouldn't be too long, but Home By The Lee might just be Jump racing's answer to Benjamin Button.
Joseph O'Brien's veteran hurdler bravely landed the Galmoy Hurlde in January before finally landing the Stayers' Hurdle at the FIFTH attempt.
He wasn't done there though, and with a whole host of younger rivals to face, he stormed up the Aintree run-in like a fresh horse just four weeks later to take the Liverpool Hurdle.
Best race
Honourable mentions go to the Ascot Chase, the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle and the Hatton's Grace, which were all fantastic races in their own right.
Unfortunately, in this game, there can only be one winner.
Step forward, the King George VI Chase.
The Boxing Day showpiece is often regarded as one of the highlights of the jumps calendar but the 2025 edition was particularly exciting, with just half-a-length separating the first four home.
The Jukebox Man prevailed by the narrowest of margins but he had reigning champion Banbridge, future Gold Cup victor Gaelic Warrior and three-time Grade 1 winner Jango Baie all within close proximity when he hit the line.
Best story
Barton's Snow has been a fine addition to the conclusion of the national hunt campaign and his trainer Joe O'Shea has delivered some of the great one liners when celebrating victories at both Cheltenham and Aintree.
While his two most recent successes will grab the headlines, Barton's Snow's win over the Grand National fences was actually his eighth in a row.
Henry Crow, a jockey relatively unknown prior to the majority of national hunt fans, delivered two of the most ice-cool rides seen all season and it goes to show that you can still mix it with the absolute best, irrespective of your standing in the game.
Something that should always be at the heart of national hunt racing.
