Leading duo shine in testing conditions while Commander returns near his imperious best

However disfiguring and dispiriting its latest corruption case, British horseracing could hardly contrive a better distraction than is likely to be prised from winter's grip at Cheltenham tomorrow. True, the course must still pass a dawn inspection, but the groundstaff's hard work in clearing snow from the frost blankets is expected to pay off with as good a card of jump racing as has been staged this winter.

Indoors specialist aims for summer and winter Olympic double as he makes it into Britain's two-man bob team, writes Simon Turnbull

There'll be a novel integration of Paralympic and Olympic competition in the season's first indoor meet on Saturday. UK Athletics' Sophia Warner tells Simon Turnbull why it had to be this way to keep the London legacy alive

A man has admitted murdering Irish vet Catherine Gowing.

A man who got into the Olympic Stadium without a ticket then threw a beer bottle at competitors lining up for the men's 100m final has been found guilty of public disorder.

A poll of Independent readers found that 95% of you don't think participants on the panel show took the joke too far

Channel 4 is facing a backlash after broadcasting a show featuring a lewd joke about the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

View From the Sofa: McCririck has gone, raging impotently against the dimming of the studio light

Nicholls' veteran lands Lexus as Flemenstar's stamina drains after promising challenge

It is the moment of truth not just for Flemenstar, but for anyone clinging to the hope that he can restore the lost romance to jump racing. A sport increasingly dominated by wealthy patrons of a few top trainers today shares the tension and excitement suffusing the Casey family's tiny stable, just up the coast from Dublin, as Flemenstar attempts a new summit at Leopardstown. A first start over three miles in the Lexus Chase, in testing ground, requires him to disclose a doughtiness to match his brilliance. If he proves equal to the challenge, every neutral will join his connections in their dream of landing the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.

After the Kauto epoch, Kempton's Boxing Day showpiece may herald a new chasing star

Presumably it will not take long for people to start hailing Sprinter Sacre as a two-mile steeplechaser without precedent, in keeping with the fatuous instinct that seems to demand indulgence with each new champion, both over jumps and on the Flat.