Sue Smith’s veteran Mister McGoldrick heads a maximum field of 20 for the first major handicap of Britain's National Hunt season, the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

William Butler will face 15 rivals as he bids to stretch his winning run to five in tomorrow’s toteswinger Summer Plate Handicap Chase at Market Rasen.

Paul Nicholls closed to within £100,000 (€123,598) of Aidan O’Brien’s prize-money mark for the last Flat season by saddling a treble at Cheltenham.

Ante-post favourite New Little Bric will bid to keep the Paul Nicholls bandwagon rolling in the Boylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

DAVID Pipe has his fingers crossed the forecast dry week materialises to give Abragante a leading chance in Saturday’s Boylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Trainer Milton Harris is eyeing a crack at next month’s Boylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham with stable star Magic Sky.

L’Antartique stormed up the famous Cheltenham hill to repeat his Festival success in a Paddy Power Gold Cup heavily tinged with sadness.

‘Mussolini and I’ (Liberation, €39.99) is a less than satisfactory drama which examines Il Duce’s (Bob Hoskins) relationship with his son Count Ciano (Anthony Hopkins) and daughter Edda (Susan Sarandon).

CONNECTIONS appear to have found a good opportunity for Back For The Craic to open his account in the Silver Bell Maiden Chase at Leicester today.

Paul Nicholls unleashed two of his big guns at Aintree today and Turko and Kauto Star, both partnered by Ruby Walsh, duly hit the target in commanding fashion.

Romano Mussolini, a jazz musician and painter who was a son of Italy’s World War II dictator Benito Mussolini, has died, his daughter said today.

YESTERDAY’S pictures and headlines about the royal wedding were relatively benign, in sharp contrast to those of the day before.