Even the bitter certainty that they will occasionally put a rider into intensive care is a reflection on the essential unpredictability of thoroughbreds.

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Charlie Boyer, of Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs

Fantasy Band: Charlie Boyer, Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs

'Klaus Voorman's stark, simple playing on Lennon's Plastic Ono Band is exactly what this elegant group needs'

Spelling bee latest: can you spell as smartly as Arvind Mahankali? (N-O)

I now know three things: Americans go c-r-a-z-y for spelling as sport; a crapaud is a Caribbean toad; and a 13-year-old kid from New York has made us all look stupid.

Andy McSmith's Diary: Woolwich Twitter witness, Boya Dee, refuses to sell story

The first that many people knew about the ghastly murder in Woolwich was from the Twitter feed of an eye witness, Boya Dee, a south London musician and filmmaker.

A scientific study has said that there will be a dramatic global decline in the number of animal and plant species this century if the world continues to procrastinate over measures to cut carbon dioxide emissions to limit climate change

Life on Earth under threat from CO2 levels, say scientists

There will be a dramatic global decline in the number of animal and plant species this century if the world continues to procrastinate over measures to cut carbon dioxide emissions to limit climate change, a study has found.

One Minute With: Marcel Theroux, novelist

Where are you now and what can you see?

John Nettles in ITV's 'Midsomer Murders'

RSC actor Gwilym Lee to joing Midsomer Murders cast

Shakespearean star Gwilym Lee is joining the cast of Midsomer Murders.

Five-Minute Memoir: 'I have met and fallen in love with my brother by blood'

My husband and my brother have the same stature, though polar zeal. My brother is an explorer crazy-man who loves wolves and geckos. My husband, who grew up in New York City, plays golf and tennis. Both are nearly two metres tall. I've never felt more secure than walking between them. Both are my family, though I only just found my brother.

Paul Marinaccio said he felt like a prisoner in his own home. 'I can’t get in my garage because of the frogs. They’re right in front of the damn door,' the road construction company owner said

US man with frog phobia wins $1.6m in damages after run-off water turns home into amphibian-friendly wetland

A man with a phobia of frogs has won $1.6million in damages after run-off water from a neighbouring property turned his home into an amphibian-friendly wetland.

The seemingly never-ending winter is having a serious effect on Britain’s wildlife, some of which won’t see the spring

Too cold for comfort: British weather having a serious effect on wildlife

The seemingly never-ending winter means some animals won't see the spring

The Flaming Lips, The Terror (Bella Union)

Album review: The Flaming Lips, The Terror (Bella Union)

Album of the Week: Brutal but far from bland as the Lips tackle the Big Issues

Happy clappy: The plastic grin on Gavin Creel’s Elder Price, left, makes him look like a living cartoon

Theatre review: The Book of Mormon - Lord, they move in hilarious ways

Despite the hype, the South Park duo's satirical musical swipe at the Church of Latter-Day Saints doesn't disappoint ... and that's gospel truth

Marco Schiavetta behind the counter at the Regency Café

No reservations, no celebrity chefs: greasy spoon outshines Michelin-starred restaurants

The Regency Café has been named as one of the UK's best places to dine out

Lord Dalmeny, chairman of Sotheby’s auction house, has apologised for a controversial Auschwitz joke at a Tory party fundraiser

Tory fundraiser marked by Auschwitz joke gaffe

Sotheby's chairman apologises for "horrific slip of the tongue"

Thaw point: SAS offshoot Snowflake was a failure
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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end