Sacred Kingdom provided the highlight and the low light of the international season as Hong Kong's finest gallopers enjoyed success on the world stage at home and abroad.
The world's highest rated turf sprinter and Horse of the Year led the charge from the outset and joined forces with his counterparts to shred the opposition in the Group One Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint on December 13.
The local contingent filled the first four placings and humbled some of the fastest horses on the planet - elevating Sacred Kindom's international rating to 122 in the process.
Unfortunately, our champion sprinter never got the chance to prove himself away from home after he was struck down by a severe bout of colic, which almost cost him his life as he was boarding the plane to Japan for the Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Nagoya.
Good Ba Ba also created history in December as he claimed his third consecutive Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile for Derek Cruz, was rated at 124 for the win and led home another Hong Kong first four.
In April, Able One and Viva Pataca repeated their Champions Mile and Audemars Piguet QE II Cup wins of three years ago to give leading big-race trainer John Moore an international Group One double.