Long Run The long wait is over. On Friday, Sam Waley-Cohen clinched the Gold Cup with Long Run to become the first amateur jockey in 30 years to finish first in the race.
"This is beyond my wildest dreams," Waley-Cohen said. "That's a very special feeling and he's a very special horse." Sir Alex Ferguson's horse 'What A Friend', meanwhile, finished fourth.
Stoke City What a wonderful weekend it was for Stoke City, hammering Newcastle United 4-0 on Saturday.
Amid the myriad goals, Danny Higginbotham's stunning free-kick was the real highlight, while Potters boss Tony Pulis would have been sated with this stat as well; it was the first time Stoke had scored four times in a top-flight game.
Maynor Figueroa Wigan manager Roberto Martinez paid homage to the Honduran after his injury-time winner saw his side beat Birmingham 2-1.
"It was great to see him going forward and he was a joy to watch. Maynor is the nicest and most professional player you will see and he deserved his moment," Martinez said.
The victory gave the Latics renewed hope in their battle to avoid the dreaded drop, for they now sit just two points adrift of safety.
BAD WEEK
England rugby The beverages England players drank on Saturday night would have been bitter-sweet. Their hopes of a Grand Slam were vanquished as Ireland beat them, but they were still able to hold the Six Nations trophy aloft after a positive campaign.
The sense of disappointment, however, pervaded the post-match mood.
Reacting to Keith Wood's comment in his television commentary that "England were shy of leaders", Johnson said: "They're a very savvy team. We got what we deserved."
Premier League goalkeepers The frailties of three top-flight glove-men were exposed at the weekend. Manuel Almunia made the worst error, darting outside of his area to allow Peter Odemwingie to score West Brom's second goal.
Newcastle's Steve Harper also earned hapless headlines, as he ceded possession to Stoke's Kenwyne Jones which culminated in Jermaine Pennant's goal.
Finally, Fulham's Mark Schwarzer was on hand to complete the catalogue of goalkeeping mishaps, awkwardly kicking the ball out for a corner by mistake, giving Everton the chance to almost score again during their win over Fulham.
Rio Ferdinand Losing the England captaincy would have riled Rio, especially with manner in which the armband went back to John Terry - without a word from Fabio Capello.
This debate has polarised opinion but the Italian should have treated the situation with more sensitivity. "I feel sorry for Rio," former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton said on Five Live's Sportsweek.
Aston Villa Villa lacked the killer instinct on Saturday and they were shot down 1-0 at home to Wolves, with Gerard Houllier's side in grave danger of dropping down to the Championship.
The claret-and-blue outfit sit just one point off the relegation zone and their manager is anxious. "Everyone is concerned about the fact we are going through a tough period," observed Houllier. "We are all worried."
Australia cricket The Aussies' extraordinary 34-match unbeaten run in World Cups ended at the weekend as Pakistan won by four wickets to take top spot in Group A.
Ricky Ponting's men were limited to 176 with the bat when chasing Pakistan's 178 - it was Australia's first World Cup defeat since 1999.
