Natalie Facetimed me the other day. No warning. Out of the blue.

I head to Naas this afternoon for three rides, none of them representing Willie Mullins.

Between March 30, 1883 and May 30, 1884, a Quaker named James Hack Tuke organised 11 ships to go on 15 sailings: nine to Boston and six to Québec, to transport 3,300 men, women and children from dirt-poor — (literally) — families from Elly Bay, a small inlet of Blacksod Bay in north-west Mayo, to make a better life for themselves in the ‘New World’.

Yesterday’s Prix d’Aumale at Chantilly was due to be a warm-up for Al Naamah ahead of next month’s Prix Marcel Boussac but Al Shaqab Racing might have a different contender altogether after pacemaker Shahah caused a mighty turn-up.

ROBERT ROCK held off a stunning charge from Thorbjorn Olesen to claim his maiden victory on the European Tour at the Italian Open yesterday.

Diarmuid O’Flynn and Fintan O’Toole argue both sides of the debate

IT MAY have come a little later than expected butwhen Rory McIlroy’s maiden major victory came in the US Open at Congressional Country Club last night it was all the sweeter for the deep disappointment of 10 weeks ago.

PLATINUM records and Grammy awards could take the place of bricks and mortar as the bread and butter of Ireland’s rich lists as plans are rolled out for the country’s first School of Rock degree course.

TRIBUTES flooded in yesterday for Jack Tyner, a promising young amateur jockey from Kinsale who died in the early hours of Monday morning, having suffered a serious head injury at Dungarvan point-to-point last Tuesday.

Enter Night: Metallica

WELSHMAN Stephen Dodd shared the first-round lead with Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara after carding six-under 65’s at the Sicilian Open yesterday.

“HE will be some horse if he ever settles,” quipped Ruby Walsh, after he had powered Willie Mullins’ Hurricane Fly to a glorious victory in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham yesterday.

RUBY WALSH walked away relatively unscathed from a bad fall at Naas yesterday.

GRAEME MCDOWELL crashed to an eight over 80 in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and confessed that it might be just the “kick in the ass” he needs to get his game in shape for the Masters.

APART from those in flat racing’s insider circles the name Wayne Lordan doesn’t mean much to many people.

THE David Wachman trained Azores can recoup the losses incurred on her debut at Cork in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden at Gowran Park tonight.

GUNS N’ ROSES star Axl Rose, who kept the world waiting 15 years for his comeback album, has been declared the greatest lead singer of all time.

Many will applaud her breakthrough achievements as a woman in a man’s world but Cork City’s Lisa Fallon really wants to be celebrated for her abilities as a coach. “Football is a tough environment for everybody, not just for me."