Considering that he had just scuppered a sporting fairytale, it was warming to see just how genuinely chuffed the racing world was for Leighton Aspell, who had scripted his own tale of the wholly unexpected at the Grand National and appeared not quite able to take it all in.

THE Primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop of Armagh Seán Brady, has described Pope Benedict XVI as a man of great ability coupled with an uncluttered vision.

A weekend of trials closed with an emphatic victory for Vodafone Derby favourite Yeats in Ireland yesterday, while the horse to make the biggest impact on the Classic picture in Britain was undoubtedly Salford City.