The word legend is a loosely used term in sport but on the turf this year there was one horse, Sea The Stars, who undoubtedly achieved that status.The Hong Kong-owned Irish-trained colt lit up the flat racing scene winning an historic treble of the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as well as three other Group One races.It was an extraordinary training feat by the humble and mild-mannered John Oxx.It came in the same year as the passing of another Irish legend in tr

The word legend is a loosely used term in sport but on the turf this year there was one horse, Sea The Stars, who undoubtedly achieved that status.

The Hong Kong-owned Irish-trained colt lit up the flat racing scene winning an historic treble of the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as well as three other Group One races.

It was an extraordinary training feat by the humble and mild-mannered John Oxx.

It came in the same year as the passing of another Irish legend in trainer Dr Vincent O'Brien, who came agonisingly close to achieving a similar feat with Nijinsky in 1970.

Honourable mentions should also go to American wonder horse Zenyatta, French filly Goldikova and English colt Conduit, who all won their second race at the Breeders' Cup in America - Sea The Stars skipping the meeting after being retired to stud.

Goldikova's victory earned trainer Freddie Head the unique accolade of both riding and training a two-time Breeders Cup winner, the Frenchman having steered Miesque to back-to-back Mile victories in his days as a jockey.

However, Sea The Stars was simply the one to watch and marvel at as he effortlessly destroyed all who opposed him - from the Aidan O'Brien camp to the beleaguered Godolphin Operation.

Godolphin's backers, the Maktoum family, suddenly found at the end of the year that the so-called financial nirvana of Dubai was anything but that.

It hadn't by that stage stopped them from buying a reputed 800 horses for the 2010 season but many observers believe that such extravagance will not be permitted by the dominant Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a condition of helping Dubai out financially.

There is also concern about the health of Dubai's and Godolphin's visionary ruler Sheikh Mohammed and his progeny are not as keen on the "sport of kings" as he is, which could lead to a flooding of the market of thousands of breeding stock and racehorses with not a lot of prospective buyers.

His and Godolphin's problems were of little note to Sea The Stars' owners, the Tsui family, who saw a dream come true when the colt landed the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in October as he emulated his dam Urban Sea's success in the 1993 edition.

Sea The Stars' victory was all the more emotional because Clement Lesbordes, the son of Urban Sea's trainer Jean Lesbordes, who rode her on the gallops, was killed shortly after she won the Arc in a road traffic accident.

While Oxx, thankfully for the sport, has no plans for retirement Sea The Stars was joined in the out tray by his bushy-browed master jockey Michael Kinane, who had only opted to stay in the game when he sat on Sea The Stars last year as a juvenile and as ever his judgment proved correct.

"At 50 I still feel fit and sharp enough to do any horse justice but, after the season I have just had in partnership with Sea The Stars, I have the privilege of being able to end my career as a jockey on an incredible high and that's what I want to do."

Racing was Ireland's year and it is appropriate to finish with a tribute to the late, great Vincent O'Brien by a fellow legend, former commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan.

"There were low points, of course, but they were far outweighed by his successes. I've never thought there was a better trainer than Vincent."

There was seldom or will be a better horse than Sea The Stars.