It is not hard to see why only five others should have had the temerity to line up against Sprinter Sacre in last year's race. Whether his stablemate Simonsig already deserves quite so much respect in the Racing Post Arkle Chase is another matter.

Rescue crews were searching a stretch of coastline today after a man was swept into the sea in gale-force winds.

Pilotless civilian aircraft could start to become a common sight in British skies within the next 10 years, it was claimed today.

Though some European raiders will show the beginnings of a winter coat, the return of the Breeders' Cup to Santa Anita this time entails a still more abrupt change of climate for those arriving from the East Coast of the United States. For while one planeload of New York horses did manage to hasten west today, even as Hurricane Sandy closed in, another seems likely to be grounded today. With bridges in their home city likely to be closed by the Port Authority, several leading fancies in the care of the record-breaking trainer Todd Pletcher are unlikely to make their scheduled departure.

More than a million of us now own at least one extra house. But where are all these second properties – and what are they doing to the communities around them?

They will head off this morning, Scotland making the shortest journey to Brussels, Wales the longest to Osijek in eastern Croatia and the Irelands contrasting ones: the Republic to Torshavn, the Faroese capital and one of Europe's loneliest footballing outposts, the North to Porto. They will travel light because the Celtic tiger has lost its bite.

Scotland and Republic managers both look one more defeat away from the sack

Ministers are investigating a proposal to outsource the production of wind power to Ireland.

Sylvain Guintoli finished in first and second places in the two races of the Dutch round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen yesterday.

A week of Classic trials began at Longchamp yesterday with a first career defeat for Dabirsim, the outstanding French juvenile last season. Ridden for the first time by Christophe Soumillon, and also making his first start at a mile, the colt raced keenly in the early stages but took over smoothly in the straight with his rider apparently intent on coasting home.

Cruise ship passengers and crew have said prayers at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank 100 years ago with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

Your hunger and passion will only see you through the opening exchanges

It was Ginger McCain, the mastermind behind Red Rum's hat-trick of victories in the world's toughest steeplechase, who ventured only seven years ago that "horses do not win Grand Nationals ridden by women".

More so than Miranda Hart, Stephen Fry and David Mitchell, Alexander Armstrong seems to be the acceptable face of posh comedy. With his comically large ears (a gift from his father), crinkly smile, affable demeanour and (crucially, perhaps) lack of smarty pants, he's the cuddly side of the upper classes in an age when, rather oppressively, toffs seem to be taking over again. Even Armstrong's overgrown Hooray Henry, 'Harry', in those adverts for Pimm's – alcopops for the privileged – is cherishable. Not that he drinks the stuff in public, he says, for fear of wags shouting, "It's Pimm's o'clock" – one of the great advertising campaigns, by the way, that helps explain some of Armstrong's wider appeal. The more you parody the posh, as the creatives at the advertising agency Mother realised, the more accessible they become to other groups.