It is hard to say which seemed more familiar here yesterday – the way a horse prepared by Jim Bolger ripped off the gloves so willingly, in an unsparing duel for the Derrinstown Derby Trial, or the gently mocking deportment of his trainer in the winner's enclosure afterwards.

The track for all seasons comes to the rescue today, when the Classic trials at Lingfield are switched from a saturated turf course to the adjacent all-weather circuit. And while they duly lose much of their pertinence to Epsom, usually ascribed to the hill, for much the same reason they are arguably rather stronger than in recent years.

Early days, but already it is hard to resist the promise of many excitements ahead. The very first winner of a new turf season on the Flat – which began in Ireland yesterday, and opens in Britain on Saturday – had the decided look of a Royal Ascot two-year-old. And it would be fairly astonishing if the various Ballydoyle three-year-olds who then stretched their legs, after racing at the Curragh, failed to muster a Classic between them.

Cheltenham? What do you mean, Cheltenham? Well, yes, perhaps it will help pass the time. But the real anticipation, in some quarters, is for the forthcoming Flat season – and not just because of Frankel.

Billy Drake was one of the most illustrious RAF and Allied "aces" of the Second World War.

Fans of The Hour (of which I'm most definitely one) will already be familiar with the "brisk banality" that so often dominated mid-century news coverage. It's depicted beautifully there, the Powers That Be calling for society lunches while the world slowly spins on its political axis. "Martial law may have been imposed in Poland," complained reporter Freddie (Ben Whishaw) in episode one. "And we have footage of Prince Rainier on honeymoon with his showgirl."

The Last Word

Lancashire gave him to London and Lancashire will take him back.

It is not lightly that we suggest that careful perusal of the sports section of this newspaper can earn readers a fortune. But we feel justified in at least advancing this proposal after our racing correspondent predicted not only the winner, but the top three, in Britain's richest horse race, the Epsom Derby.

When French colt Pour Moi and its tricolour-waving jockey entered the winner's enclosure after the Epsom Derby on Saturday, it was a bittersweet moment for Chris McGrath, The Independent's racing correspondent.

Pour Moi snatched victory in the shadow of the post to land the Investec Derby at Epsom from Treasure Beach and the Queen's Carlton House.

There is a photograph by Horace Nicholls at the Museum of London's excellent London Street Photography that neatly encapsulates the elusive magic of street photography. It was taken at the Epsom Derby in 1910 and features a well-dressed lady in her thirties, who sits slumped at a table resting her head in her hands with a cigarette in mouth, lost in thought. But what thought? Street photography can capture a fleeting moment in a stranger's life for eternity, but it will never tell you what they were thinking. That's for the viewer to ponder.

Veteran jockey Mick Kinane has announced his retirement, ending a 34-year career in the saddle.

The Ashes are one step closer to returning to free-to-air television after an independent review recommended the iconic series be returned to the list of British sport's 'Crown Jewels'.