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Kaboul set for Sunderland switch
 Younes Kaboul is expected to undergo a medical at Sunderland tomorrow as he moves closer to becoming the second player to arrive at the Stadium of Light from Tottenham this summer.

Ashton turns down academy role
 Brian Ashton has rejected the Rugby Football Union's offer to become their national academy head coach.

Iraq banned from Olympics
 Iraq has been banned from taking part in the Beijing Olympics because of a government decision to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee, an official at the committee said today.

Chelsea continue Robinho chase
 Chelsea have confirmed their pursuit of Real Madrid striker Robinho is ongoing despite reports the Brazilian is set to remain in the Spanish capital.

O'Neill warns Liverpool over Barry
 Martin O'Neill has warned Liverpool he is ready to set a deadline for them to meet his valuation of want-away Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry.

Keane snaps up international keeper
 Sunderland boss Roy Keane has strengthened his goalkeeping corps by signing Republic of Ireland international Nick Colgan.

Dilshan makes cricket history
 Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan became the first player to take advantage of cricket's new trial laws and successfully challenge an on-field umpire's decision today.

Let battle commence as Henry and Deans come face-to-face
 In the annals of rugby union history, there has rarely been anything like it before.

Barry could play in Intertoto
 Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is considering playing want-away skipper Gareth Barry in Saturday's Intertoto Cup clash with Odense BK at Villa Park.

Teenager Ngog joins Liverpool
 Liverpool have signed highly-rated teenage striker David Ngog from Paris St Germain.

Mosley wins £60,000 over orgy case
 Formula One boss Max Mosley today won his privacy action against the News of the World.

Eight fixtures for new Welsh track but less racing in 2009
Punters will have a new racecourse name to scrawl on betting slips next year, with eight fixtures having been awarded to the track at Ffos Las in South Wales, which is due to open in June. Sceptics who endured the anticlimax of the multiple postponements before the eventual opening this year of the track at Great Leighs in Essex, will not be in a rush to obtain tickets for the opening day. Nevertheless, to have two new racecourses added to the roster reflects well on the health of racing after half a century of track closures.

Idowu takes it as red that Beijing should be a hair-raising occasion
Phillips Idowu was last seen in public beaming at a trackside television camera, telling the world: "I feel like Superman right now. I'm bulletproof." That was at the trials for the British Olympic track and field team in Birmingham 11 days ago. Yesterday the flying triple jumper was facing the cameras and the microphones at a Park Lane hotel ahead of the London Grand Prix, the pre-Olympic showpiece staged at Crystal Palace tomorrow night and on Saturday afternoon. He was sporting his usual array of facial adornments – tongue, lip, nose and eyebrow piercings – but wrapped in a polo shirt rather than a Superman cape. For that matter, Britain's leading hope for athletics gold in Beijing was not wearing regulation superhero knickers over tights, either. Not that he would have got them in any kind of a twist about his prospects of hopping, stepping and jumping to the top of the medal podium in China.

Nadal puts his foot down after slow start
 Rafael Nadal eased his way back into action for the first time since his epic triumph at Wimbledon with a low-key victory over Jesse Levine in the second round of the Toronto Masters here last night.

Lancashire 357 Hampshire 174-3: Benham marks his return by restoring hope to Hampshire
The race for the County Championship remains so tightly bunched that it would not be entirely daft to describe some teams as relegation-threatened title contenders. Hampshire's position at the bottom of the table, however, looks less ambiguous than most.

Nottinghamshire 213 & 146-2 Yorkshire 161: Shreck's decisive swing gives Notts platform for victory
This was a dog day for the Tykes. Nothing seemed to go Yorkshire's way, not even when they took a wicket late in the day. Nottinghamshire in contrast found everything swinging in their favour.

Pattinson should not take blame for defeat, says Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff has played down any negative impact of Darren Pattinson's unexpected inclusion in the team to play South Africa in the lost second Test at Headingley.

Ohuruogu tops Palace bill
For Christine Ohuruogu, the lone outdoor world champion in the British track and field team preparing for the Olympics, the send-off at the Palace tomorrow is sure to be cathartic.

Burgess injury a body blow for Bradford and England
England's World Cup hopes have been dealt a heavy blow by the loss of Sam Burgess, who will not play again this year following shoulder surgery.

Guti would welcome arrival of Ronaldo as Real player
The Real Madrid playmaker Guti insists the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo would not disrupt team spirit. The Manchester United winger has been linked with a move and would likely be one of the highest earners at the Bernabeu. The Real captain Raul had rejected suggestions last week from Wesley Sneijder that Ronaldo's arrival and wage packet would upset the harmony of the squad, and Guti has followed suit.

Scolari shrugs off Ferguson's barbs as Blues win with ease
The Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari refused to be drawn into a pre-season war of words with his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson following the Scot's comments that Scolari's charges are too old to mount a title challenge.

Wednesday fan group recommends takeover
Sheffield Wednesday's proposed takeover has edged a step closer after supporters' group Wednesdayite urged members to vote in favour of selling their shares.

Owen keeps captain's role at Newcastle
Michael Owen will retain the captain's armband at Newcastle no matter who manager Kevin Keegan signs during the remainder of the transfer window.

Transfer news and speculation, 24 July
West Ham United said yesterday that the £5m signing of the Switzerland defender Valon Behrami underlines their commitment to challenging for a place in the Premier League's elite. They stressed that remains the case despite reports suggesting that manager Alan Curbishley must trim his expensive playing staff for the new season. Behrami's arrival from Lazio comes a week after striker Bobby Zamora and defender John Pantsil were sold for a combined £6.3m fee to Fulham. There has been speculation that captain Lucas Neill, striker Carlton Cole and centre-back Anton Ferdinand could be among the high-profile sales to balance the books after major transfer market business in the last two seasons. But West Ham, whose only summer signings until the arrival of 23-year-old Behrami were 17-year-olds Homar Orn Eyjolfsson and Bálint Bajner, have also awarded major new contracts to striker Dean Ashton and left-back George McCartney. The chief executive Scott Duxbury believes the signing of Behrami shows the club remains focused on improving the side. Duxbury said: "Valon will be a valuable addition as we aim for a successful season ahead. We beat off a lot of competition from other clubs to sign him and it indicates the club's positive ambitions."

Tour de France: Sastre hits new high with his masterful solo show
A superb solo attack by Carlos Sastre on the Alpe d'Huez climb propelled the Spaniard into the yellow jersey yesterday – but the tradition that whoever leads the Tour after cycling's most mythical ascent goes on to win in Paris may yet be broken.

Olympic resistance is too late for Liverpool
Liverpool are set to be the major losers in the dispute over Olympic call-ups after two German clubs were given the backing of one of European football's most powerful consortiums to pull their players out of the Beijing tournament. The European Club Association, of which Liverpool are a member, said yesterday that clubs had "no legal obligation" to release their players next month.

Paul Scholes: When I go I will miss football, not the life of a footballer
For most people, the lifestyle of a footballer is a Utopia that could only be reached by the purchase of a winning Lottery ticket. But Paul Scholes cannot wait to see the back of it.

Robinson set for Rovers as Bentley heads the other way
Blackburn Rovers last night offered Paul Robinson a lifeline after a tumultuous 12 months at Tottenham Hotspur, during which he has lost his place for club and country, by making a bid of around £3m for the England goalkeeper. The move came after Blackburn accepted an offer of £2m from Aston Villa, who want to buy their goalkeeper Brad Friedel and have beaten off competition from Manchester City.

Mosley 'was set up by Formula One enemies'
 Max Mosley, whose role in a sado-masochistic sex orgy was exposed in a Sunday newspaper, was the victim of a sting operation by his enemies in the world of motorsport, senior figures in the industry have told The Independent.

London 2012 will favour rich athletes, warn MPs
The Government's plans for the London 2012 Olympics risk favouring middle-class, privileged young athletes over poorer ones and will do little to boost grassroots participation in sport, a spending watchdog claims.

Gay sidesteps Powell race to recover for Olympics
By David Martin

Tour de France: Sastre seizes yellow jersey
 Frank Schleck surrendered the yellow jersey to team-mate Carlos Sastre as the Spaniard kicked away to a convincing victory on Alpe d'Huez in the 17th stage of the Tour de France.

Miller asks Vaughan to explain 'confused' comment
 National selector Geoff Miller has sought an explanation from captain Michael Vaughan following his comments about team selection for the second Test against South Africa.

Emre completes move from Newcastle to Fenerbahce
 Turkey midfielder Emre Belozoglu signed a four-year contract with Fenerbahce today.

McCaw and Mortlock out of Saturday's Tri-Nations clash
 All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and Australian skipper Stirling Mortlock have both been ruled out of Saturday’s Tri-Nations test.

Transfer news and speculation, 23 July
West Ham will today complete their first major signing of the summer with the £5m acquisition of Swiss international Valon Behrami. The 23-year-old, who can play at right-back or the right of midfield, will sign from Lazio. Talks have been ongoing for some time for Behrami, who started all three of Switzerland's matches at Euro 2008. West Ham have beaten off interest from other clubs in England, and in Germany, to sign Behrami. The Hammers maintain the signing does not mean they will sell captain Lucas Neill, although they are expecting to receive bids for the Australia international. Neither are they prepared to offload George McCartney – even if Sunderland increase the offer of £4.5m that was recently turned down. Both players have said they want to stay at Upton Park. They will not, however, be joined by Eidur Gudjohnsen. West Ham have rejected claims that they offered £5m for the Icelandic striker – who they have tried to sign in the past – and insist they have no interest in buying him from Barcelona. The club are in the market for a new goalkeeper having allowed Richard Wright to rejoin Ipswich Town, while Robert Green's future is in doubt with the player keen on a move away from West Ham. Fulham have shown a tentative interest.

Pacemakers pose questions for King George
Tactics will surely be the key to Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In one corner is the favourite, Duke Of Marmalade, tackling a mile and a half for the first time, with his camp facing his trip into unknown territory in hope rather than supreme confidence. In the other is market rival Youmzain, for whom the distance is a minimum and whose connections have made clear their requirement is an end-to-end gallop.

Boxing: Calzaghe injury puts Jones bout on hold
Joe Calzaghe's fight against the American Roy Jones, scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on 20 September, has been postponed because of injury.

Lancashire 261-5 v Hampshire: Tahir steps on gas to boost Hampshire survival hopes
Seeking a third consecutive Championship victory against a side they beat at the Rose Bowl nine days ago, Lancashire undoubtedly enjoyed the best of things but Hampshire were offered a glimpse at least of potential salvation for their season.

Nottinghamshire 213 Yorkshire 72-5: Shreck and Ealham help Notts remember comforts of home
It has taken them long enough this season, but Nottinghamshire finally began to look at home at Trent Bridge – at least their bowlers did. By the close Yorkshire were in tatters, with half their side out and still 141 runs behind.

Celtic delight as Super League comes to Wales
Super League will come to south Wales for the first time and return to the rather more familiar surroundings of Salford under the new blueprint for the competition.

Harmison and hard graft the way to revive ailing England
Selectors make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. Even Sir Alex Ferguson buys the occasional expensive dud. It is whether an individual or committee learn from and correct the errors they make that is paramount.

London 2012 the long-term aim for Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie will contest the Berlin marathon in September for a third straight year after shattering the world record in the German capital in 2007, organisers said yesterday.

Djokovic banking on surface advantage
Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic was the only seeded player to fall on a rain-interrupted opening day of the Toronto Masters.

Chelsea close in on Robinho as final signing of the summer
Chelsea are increasingly confident that they will be able to sign Robinho from Real Madrid within the next two weeks following another meeting in London with the Brazilian's agent Wagner Ribeiro.

Ferguson admits sacrificing Rooney on road to success
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he must "define" Wayne Rooney's role at Manchester United this season after conceding that he has allowed the 22-year-old to sacrifice his natural abilities for the sake of the team for too long.

Olympic row attracts Liverpool's attention
Liverpool will watch with interest as the Bundesliga yesterday signalled they are ready to test Fifa's resolve on releasing players for the Olympic Games next month. A dispute in Germany over the Werder Bremen midfielder Diego threatens to break the goodwill pact permitting famous international names to play in Beijing.

City target Bellamy to solve striker crisis
Manchester City are considering making a bid for West Ham's Craig Bellamy after Benjani Mwaruwari broke down in training, rupturing a thigh muscle, which means the Zimbabwean striker will miss the first month of the season.

Tour de France: Vintage race of delicate power shifts leaves fans enthralled
At 95 years old and counting, you would have thought a venerable sporting institution like the Tour de France would have seen it all. But with the race's five leading riders clustered within 73 seconds at the head of the classification four days from Paris the 2008 edition is breaking into spectacularly new, and exciting territory.

Tour de France: Wheels on fire as five go for glory in greatest Tour of all
They have pedalled 1,730 miles and spent 16 days in the saddle and still the tension remains at boiling point in the Tour de France after yesterday's gruelling mountain stage saw the five race favourites expend a lot of effort to little long-term effect. Never before have so many riders been in with a chance of winning one of the world's great sporting events, which is the ultimate test of a cyclist's endurance.

Top cricketers to be given counselling on drink and drugs addiction
The spectre of excess and addiction – whether to drink, sex, drugs or gambling – has long hung over English sport, with footballers and, more recently, cauliflower-eared rugby internationals inspiring headlines they would rather were not true.

Durham 163-8 Glamorgan 119: Durham reach finals day as Smith makes Welsh turn tail
After two changes of opponents, Durham belatedly claimed their place at the Twenty20 Cup finals day by seeing off Glamorgan last night. The Dynamos had expected to play Yorkshire in the quarter-finals a fortnight ago, but the White Rose county were eliminated after fielding an ineligible player, opening the way for Glamorgan.

Powell resists Bolt's late surge to gain revenge
Asafa Powell triumphed over his fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt in their eagerly awaited 100 metres contest at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meeting here last night.

Revitalised Roddick finally finds his touch
Andy Roddick launched his hard-court campaign last night with a battling 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 second-round win over Nicolas Mahut in the Toronto Masters. Back in action for the first time since a second-round defeat at Wimbledon, Roddick had looked eager to make quick work of the Frenchman as dark clouds gathered above centre court.

Boxing: Calzaghe postpones Garden party
 Joe Calzaghe looks set to face American legend Roy Jones Jr in November after a hand injury suffered by the Welshman scuppered plans to stage the bout in two months' time.

Robinho would be last signing says Kenyon
 Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has admitted Robinho would be the club's final signing of the summer if they are successful in their attempts to land the Brazilian.

Tottenham count cost of Bostock deal
 Tottenham could eventually pay more than £2m to Crystal Palace for promising midfielder John Bostock, it has emerged.

King set for Hull switch
 Wigan striker Marlon King is travelling to Humberside to hold talks with Hull over a transfer to the KC Stadium.

The mob try to buy Lazio
 A notorious Italian organised crime gang tried to buy soccer club Lazio through third parties using funds gained from violence and intimidation, authorities said on Tuesday.

Wigan capture Zaki
 Wigan have completed the signing of Egypt international striker Amr Zaki.

Essien signs new Chelsea deal
 Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has signed a new five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Crusaders and Salford get Super League nod
 Celtic Crusaders and Salford have been awarded places in Super League for 2009-2011.

Genevieve Murphy: Plenty of scope for a bit of razzmatazz alongside the tradition
The showjumping fixture at Chester Racecourse next week will be followed with interest – and no doubt a little sniffily by some – as organisers try to attract interest by unconventional means.

Showjumping gets sexy
The image of showjumping hasn't changed much since the days when Raymond Brooks-Ward was the gentlemanly voice of the sport.

Hamilton was fortunate to avoid crash with safety car
Lewis Hamilton's magnificent victory in Germany on Sunday almost failed to happen. Without question it was a great performance, but the margin between success and failure is small indeed. The TV cameras failed to spot it, but he very nearly came a cropper behind the safety car on the 41st lap, just before the race was restarted.

Doubles specialists banned for betting on matches
The doubles specialists Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak, both recent tournament winners, were suspended yesterday by the ATP for betting on matches. Neither player wagered on his own matches, and an independent hearing officer found no evidence of any intent to affect the outcome of matches bet upon, the governing body of men's tennis said.

Tour de France: Schleck under fire from own manager for lack of conviction
Six days from Paris, and the balance of power in the 2008 Tour de France could hardly be more delicate, with six riders still in contention for the overall victory. Yesterday was a rest day in Cuneo, Italy, with Frank Schleck of Luxembourg leading the race by a mere seven seconds from the Austrian Bernhard Kohl, with the former yellow jersey wearer Cadel Evans at eight.

Youngsters fight shy of Ascot battleground
There is a notable omission among the 10 horses declared yesterday for the second-richest race in Britain, Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. For the third year in succession, and the fourth time in seven years, there will be no three-year-old carrying the banner for his age group in what has traditionally been a showpiece confrontation between the Classic and older generations.

Pavlyuchenko and Arshavin bids put Spurs on a tightrope
 Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up new bids for the Russia internationals Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin as they face the prospect of losing their three first-choice strikers over the next two weeks. They regard Arshavin as a replacement for Robbie Keane, whose move to Liverpool is the most imminent of the three.

Abramovich to break bank for Kaka
 Chelsea may not have made a "bid" for Kaka, as their chief executive, Peter Kenyon, asserted yesterday, but the club's owner, Roman Abramovich, did make it clear to Milan at a meeting earlier this month that he would pay whatever it takes to sign the Brazilian.

Giggs humbled by bravery of South Africa's sufferers
Raw admiration is etched across Ryan Giggs' face. Phumzile, a young man living with HIV, has just produced a brief video diary detailing the road he has travelled since discovering his illness and overcoming the stigma attached to it – still a huge obstacle in South Africa – by revealing his status to his family.

Transfer News and Speculation: 22 July
 As he continues his search for new players, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger says he has no intention of going public and destabilising players – as Real Madrid have done with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

James Lawton: Wenger betrayed as the last bastion of sanity descends into temple of gloom
Though it is 2000-odd years since the money dealers had their tables turned over in the temple, and only less than a month before the start of a new Premier League season, isn't it surely time for a similar gesture?

'Fear' stirs Harrington to enlarge major haul
For Padraig Harrington the work is never done. On awakening yesterday as the first European to retain his Open title since before the Titanic sunk, Harrington set out a new list of objectives. They ranged from leaving behind the exclusive champions' club he has only just joined, to making a better fist of next month's USPGA, to beating his friend in a driving challenge – one-handed. And it is his old friend "fear" that will be his secret weapon.

Open champion calls on Faldo to pick Monty
If Nick Faldo is to ignore the wildcard claims of Colin Montgomerie for the Ryder Cup he will not only be working merely against the wishes of the majority of European supporters but also against that of The Open champion. Padraig Harrington yesterday added his weight to the "Pick Monty" campaign. And he did so with some gusto. "It is very important to get the balance in the team and now that I am in, I hope to tee it up with Monty in Valhalla in September," he said yesterday. "Of course, I would look forward to playing with anyone in the team but going back to the last couple of times I have played, I would certainly pick Monty."

England 203 & 327 South Africa 522 & 9-0: South Africa dominance gives Vaughan an unsavoury verdict
Michael Vaughan believed the four-Test series against South Africa would give England's selectors and fans a good indication of where he and his side sit in the cricketing world. At 6.26pm yesterday evening, when Neil McKenzie dropped a Darren Pattinson delivery at his feet and scampered a quick single to complete a comprehensive 10-wicket victory for South Africa, the England captain was given an early sign, and he is unlikely to enjoy the verdict.

Anderson sets gutsy example that batsmen fail to mirror
What makes diamonds unique is not their lustre but their hardness, and there is no mistaking which of these sides is best equipped to resist abrasion. For this success was hewn from a stratum that often seems to lie far beyond the reach of an Englishman with a bat in his hand. In fairness, the bravest performance yesterday came from one such in James Anderson – and the frothiest, come to that, from a son of Natal in Kevin Pietersen. But the men who crushed them are as unyielding as any diamond ever dug out of the great mines of Kimberley.

Vaughan lays blame for Test humiliation on lack of unity
 Michael Vaughan last night accepted that a confused selection policy prior to the second Test played a significant role in England's 10-wicket defeat to South Africa at Headingley. Vaughan believes the selection of the Australian-reared Darren Pattinson and the omission of Paul Collingwood, two decisions the England captain had major input in, disrupted the unity of the team.

Toulouse the dark horses as Super League decide on newcomers
Seven tight-lipped men will this morning put at least two clubs out of their misery by elevating them to Super League. The revolutionary new system of licensing 14 clubs to play in the competition comes to fruition amid a unique degree of secrecy. Only seven people know who is out and who is in, five of them making up the panel that made the decision on Friday.

Healy sorry for gesture
 Northern Ireland striker David Healy tonight apologised for his flute-playing gesture during a game against Celtic.

Second Test: South Africa clinch victory
 England tonight slipped to a 10-wicket defeat inside four days against South Africa, in the second npower Test at Headingley.

Ferguson says Ronaldo move a mistake
 Sir Alex Ferguson has told Cristiano Ronaldo that joining Real Madrid would be "the worst thing he could do".

Fulham investigate Healy incident
 Fulham and the Irish Football Association are looking into David Healy's flute-playing gesture during Saturday's friendly against Celtic.

Spurs hand dossier to Premier League
 Tottenham have given the Premier League a dossier of evidence from over the last year to back up their complaint against Manchester United's pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov.

Scolari expects to keep Drogba
 Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari expects to return from the pre-season tour of Asia and Russia with a fully fit Didier Drogba ready to help the club win back the Barclays Premier League crown.

Wright back at Ipswich
 Richard Wright has returned to Ipswich after signing a two-year deal at Portman Road.

Zenit claim Tottenham want Arshavin
 Zenit St Petersburg have claimed Tottenham are in the race to sign Andrei Arshavin but need to increase their valuation of the Russia international.

Cech extends Chelsea contract
 Petr Cech has signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, according to the club's official website.

Italy to make World Cup bid
 The Italian Rugby Federation are planning a bid to host either the 2015 or 2019 World Cup.

Makelele on brink of PSG switch
 Claude Makelele will end his five-year spell at Chelsea by completing a move to Paris St Germain this afternoon.

Michel Hodara quits as head of Alinghi
 Swiss America's Cup holder Alinghi is to lose its CEO Michel Hodara, the man in charge of organising not just the up-coming one-on-one defence against Larry Ellison's San Francisco-based BMW Oracle but in charge of the long-term planning of the next multi-challenge America's Cup in the event of Alinghi being successful.

Rowing: Under-23s double scullers storm to gold
 The double scullers Charles Cousins and Bill Lucas stormed to a gold medal on the Beetzee in Brandenburg yesterday, leading a British medal count of five in the world under-23 championships. Cousins and Lucas of Reading University were third in this event last year and have developed strongly since under the world class start programme which discovered them.

An email conversation with Kelly Sotherton
Your start to the summer season was delayed by the problem you suffered at a training camp at Formia in Italy – temporary kidney failure. How scary was that, and are you fully recovered? It was quite scary, because I didn't know how serious it was at the time. I still don't know how it happened and why it happened, and I don't know if it'll ever come back, so I have to be cautious. But at one stage I thought the doctors might tell me I would have to take a month off and I was like: "Oh my God, that's the whole Olympics gone." I was lying there with all the intravenous drip and stuff. But the next day I was so much better. And I kind of defied what the kidney specialist said. He said: "I want you to go lightly when you get back into your training," but I went back into my training probably quicker than I should have done. That's me: I push the envelope all the time. I had a week off and then a week where I was I doing slightly less training than normal and then I built it up. And fortunately I've recovered very well. I think I must have been ill for a long time before it hit me. Now I feel so much better in myself, but I was tired for a long time. That was my only symptom: fatigue. I just thought it was due to the training, because I was training hard.

Kennedy continues a colourful campaign
Colour prejudice has no place in racing, thank goodness. Whether a horse is bay, brown, black, chestnut or grey – or, in the case of a runner at Newton Abbot yesterday, skewbald – has no effect on its ability as an athlete. Honeypot Splenda's dramatic chestnut-and-white patched coat may have turned heads in Devon, but her performance, pulled up when tailed off before the third-last flight in the opening novices' hurdle, did not.

Australia 16 South Africa 9: De Villiers' men prove unable to think out of the box
Not long after he took over as South Africa's coach, Peter de Villiers called into question the extent to which his players had become pre-programmed.

Bradford 24 Wakefield 10: 'Immature' Burgess helps Bulls past Wakefield in play-off race
Wakefield went down to their fourth defeat in a row in the run-up to Sunday's Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull. Bradford's victory put them two points ahead of their opponents in the tussle for a Super League play-off place.

Dixon fires Crusaders' challenge to old order
Tomorrow morning John Dixon will gather his troops in front of the television at the Brewery Field and they will find out what the future holds for them and for rugby league in Wales.