The locally trained Starkie, in the care of Henry de Bromhead, won the Waterford and Tramore Racecourse Novice Hurdle at the seaside track yesterday.

Noble Prince will cross the Irish Sea to make his seasonal reappearance in the two-and-a-half-mile Betfred Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Saturday.

Kevin Prendergast, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, has clearly lost none of the magic and was on the mark at Galway last night when Vastonea landed the featured Topaz Mile.

Brendan Duke reports all to be going well with Mister Benedictine as the in-form nine-year-old builds towards next week’s Guinness Galway Hurdle.

Paul Deegan’s prolific mare Midnight Soprano tests the water at Pattern level for the first time in the At The Races Curragh Cup on Sunday.

Aidan O’Brien has hailed Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby favourite Camelot as “unique” as he bids to conquer unfavourable ground and maintain his unbeaten record at the Curragh on Saturday.

I have said before how nervous I get leading up to big races and major festivals.

Paul Carberry received a timely pre-Cheltenham boost when guiding Oscar Hill to an easy win in the Roadhouse Pun Novice Handicap Hurdle in Downpatrick yesterday, first leg of a double for trainer Gordon Elliott, completed when Carberry’s sister Nina partnered Spring Lane to an odds-on win in the bumper.

Rubi Light pleased connections in a racecourse spin at the Curragh yesterday as he continued his preparation for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.

JACKSONSLADY, trained and partly-owned by Philip Dempsey, proved best in the listed Grabel Mares Hurdle on the opening day of Punchestown’s winter season.

REGAL Ambition, trained by Charlie Swan for his father-in-law Timmy Hyde, held off the late challenge of Cootamundra to land the featured Leo Dolan Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Roscommon last night.

CELEBRITIES can now post online corrections to what they consider misinformation and slurs about their character.

And Furthermore

TO lose one of the world’s great managers may be regarded as a misfortune.

I’VE won four of the last six runnings of the Kerry National, but am no more than hopeful off adding another aboard Deutschland today.

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey performed a duet with Paul McCartney at a star-packed bash after he jumped on stage.

GIVEN the fantastic safety record that horse racing has nowadays, it is easy to forget that this can be a dangerous occupation.

IN Compliance will return to Grade One company for the first time in almost two years in tomorrow’s John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

Kevin Spacey lost his temper on the London stage when a dramatic scene was ruined after an audience member's mobile phone rang.

The entries for the 2009 John Smith’s Grand National have been revealed, with last year’s Gold Cup winner Denman the headline act from a total of 123.

Kevin Spacey has been hailed for his work in London's West End at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Singer Andrea Corr is to make her London stage debut at the Old Vic, it was announced today.

Dermot Weld has made a great start to the season but the Master of Rosewell House is realistic about their hopes for the rest of the campaign. Pat Keane reports.

LAST year’s winner Neptune Collonges is the nap choice to land the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown this afternoon.

DESSIE Hughes is in no hurry to decide whether Hardy Eustace will bid for a third Champion Hurdle triumph or take the longer option in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

JOHN Carr has still to see a serious challenger emerge to threaten Sublimity’s supremacy at the head of the Champion Hurdle betting.

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey said today that he no longer cared about his movie career.

Colm Murphy will step Brave Inca up to three miles for the first time in the Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.

Don’t Push It could run in the Sky Bet Press Red To Bet On ATR Novices’ Chase at Southwell on Saturday as connections ponder his Cheltenham Festival target.

Peter O’Toole nearly did not accept his honorary Oscar in 2003 on the grounds that he was “still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright”.

ROBERT ALTMAN, the acclaimed director of M*A*S*H, Short Cuts and Gosford Park, has died, aged 81.

MAC THREE produced a smashing performance to outclass the opposition in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at a miserably wind and rain-swept Cork yesterday.

Kevin Spacey has hit out at claims he is trying to balance a Hollywood career with running a London theatre.

Kevin Spacey is determined to complete his 10-year contract as artistic director at London theatre the Old Vic, despite criticism of his management.

SILENT OSCAR, taking a major drop in class, duly landed the Slievenamon Maiden Hurdle at a miserable Clonmel yesterday.

MACS JOY completed his preparations for next Tuesday's Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle with a gallop at the Curragh yesterday morning.

Macs Joy completed his preparations for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle a week today with a gallop at the Curragh this morning.

BRAVE INCA is in cracking form as trainer Colm Murphy puts the finishing touches to his Champion Hurdle preparations.

Beef Or Salmon and Kingscliff are vying for totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup favouritism following the shock news that Kicking King will miss the remainder of the season.

Kicking King has been ruled out of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup after straining a tendon.

Tom Taaffe and Barry Geraghty expressed their delight at the form of Kicking King ahead of the Daily Star Chase at Punchestown tomorrow.

Tom Taaffe has nominated War Of Attrition as the main danger to Kicking King’s defence of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.