It might not prove as crazy as it sounds to say that My Tent Or Yours would have been a more attractive bet in the Champion Hurdle itself than in the William Hill Supreme Novices' Hurdle. This race has a history of quietly making the greater demands of horses' stamina and remember how Darlan, his doomed stablemate, could not win it after himself shaping so well against seasoned horses in the same Newbury handicap that announced My Tent Or Yours.

Harry Potter fans still clinging to the hope that JK Rowling may return to Hogwarts to write a prequel should take heed: it's not likely to happen.

Dynaste, the long-standing favourite for the RSA Chase, was switched to the Jewson Novices' Chase as connections reconciled themselves to unusually demanding conditions at Cheltenham this week.

The World Health Organization's recent report on the fall-out of the Fukushima disaster appeared largely positive: radiation exposure has had only a minor impact on the overall health of the local population. Yet the meltdown of the Daiichi nuclear plant, two years ago tomorrow – not to mention the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that induced it – continue to have solemn ramifications for those who live in the area.

It is rather like preparing for a bout with one Klitschko brother by sparring with the other. Certainly, the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown tomorrow represents a genuine aperitif to Cheltenham – not just for the winner, who will receive a £75,000 bonus if following up at the Festival, but also for punters, who get an alarming foretaste of the handicaps they must solve next week.

Where are you now and what can you see?

Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel has insisted she has “absolutely nothing to apologise for” following widespread outrage over her apparent criticism of the Duchess of Cambridge.

If you think Trending has thrown its weight behind International Women’s Day, you should see what the rest of the country is doing.

Gavin Turk, one of the famous Young British Artists of ‘90s, has won the most votes in a competition to bring ten major contemporary artists to regional museums around the country for a nocturnal festival. He will create a magic carpet at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in two months’ time.

The Maracana, the flagship stadium for next year's tournament in Brazil, has been flooded

Assistant who prepared last year's champion hurdler defends title as successful rookie trainer

The truth about the world's most violent conflict zones isn't black or white, scary or idyllic, corrupt or democratic. Yet our media tries to make it so.

London’s Southbank Centre is to bring its Festival Wing out of the 1960s and into the 21st century with a £100m overhaul that marks the “final piece in the jigsaw” in the transformation of the cultural venue.

Paddy Power, in one of its typical stunts, has promised to refund all losing bets in the Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham next Tuesday if the 2-1 favourite Hurricane Fly romps home.