THE EX-AMERICAN colt Adair is to be entered in the Derby, Godolphin confirmed yesterday. Sheikh Mohammed's organisation already have the Kentucky Derby hope Aljabr in the Epsom Classic, for which there were 143 acceptors after the first forfeit stage yesterday.

The Big Picture; BELOVED (15) DIRECTOR: JONATHAN DEMME STARRING: OPRAH WINFREY, DANNY GLOVER, THANDIE NEWTON, KIMBERLEY ELISE 171 MINUTES

OPPOSITION TO Bionic, initially made favourite for the 1,000 Guineas after the death of Bint Allayl, has resulted in William Hill pushing the Henry Cecil-trained filly out to 9-1 from 6-1 for the first fillies' Classic.

Who needs hype? Barbara Kingsolver's novels become best-sellers by the back door.

ALJABR, THE 2,000 Guineas favourite, may miss the race on 1 May at Newmarket and instead tackle the Kentucky Derby on dirt at Churchill Downs the same day.

A JURY has awarded $20m (pounds 12m) to four former employees of a Wal-Mart store in Kentucky after deciding that the company unfairly fired them for eating damaged nuts and confectionery.

THE SECOND most famous cigar in America, the racehorse of that name, could soon be back on the track, but not to race.

AN INTERNET site is advising childless couples to take advantage of $500 (pounds 300) "embryo adoption" procedures as a money-saving alternative to other fertility treatments. The advice has been denounced as "scandalous" by one of the world's leading fertility experts.

Horse racing: The former champion jockey from Kentucky has no regrets about rejecting Britain and the bottle

So British popular music began in the Sixties, did it? Of course not. A new CD survey of original folk recordings shows today's pop groups a thing or two about musical grit.

BARONESS THATCHER pro- voked outrage last night when she said that single mothers and their children should be denied benefits and placed in the care of religious organisations.

The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley Flamingo pounds 17.99

FACE TRANSPLANTS could be technically possible within five years, a leading American plastic surgeon has predicted, a week after surgeons in France transplanted a hand.

CLINT HALLAM, the New Zealander who was given another person's hand in a pioneering operation in France last week, should not have been sitting in a hospital bed last Friday. He was supposed to be in New York, talking to a surgeon about the possibility of having a hand transplant from an American team.