On the other hand, his owners might prove no less reckless if turning down the sort of profit they will be offered after he completed an impeccable first season in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday. The fiscal follies invited by the thoroughbred could not be more richly distilled than by the emergence of Sir Percy as a potential champion of his generation. However, boxing is the one sport where absolutely anything is possible. Maguire, 25, and Ellen Whitaker, 19, captured the top two places, with the veteran Frenchman Jean-Marc Nicolas third. Ireland's Billy Twomey and Britain's Geoff Luckett completed weekend doubles. To order a copy at the special price of £15.50 (free p&p), call Independent Books Direct on 08700 798 897, or order online at www.independentbooksdirect.co.uk More from Miles Kington. Or at least I think they said cult." He hasn't accepted yet, though "It scares the wits out of me," he says "I'm a working class council house lad who's made good I feel I've got a broad communion with an audience.

Danny Williams and Audley Harrison will finally meet in the ring five years after the pair first started trading insults. The end to their often ugly verbal stand-off is likely to take place in London some time in December but the fight has the potential to become one of the biggest domestic showdowns in the sport's history. Harrison won an Olympic gold in Sydney in October 2000 and at the time Williams was the best professional heavyweight in Britain, but he was then and he is still now, a relatively low-key character.Even before Harrison had thrown a punch for pay as a professional he made ludicrous claims that he was the best heavyweight in Britain and he could win the domestic championship in his first three fights.Williams and his management team at the time were understandably annoyed at Harrison's rant, but during the next three years it was the gold medallist and not the far more experienced and seasoned Williams who attracted most of the headlines.After various fights between 2001 and 2004, Harrison accused Williams of acting like a cockroach and also claimed that his verbal nemesis was a coward.Williams during this period lost a couple of fights that he should have won and by last summer it was obvious that Harrison, who at the time was unbeaten in 15 fights was a bigger star.There was genuine interest and discussions took place about the pair meeting but all talks vanished when Williams found himself in the opposite corner from Mike Tyson in July 2004 in Louisville.Against the odds and after an incredible four rounds, Williams knocked Tyson out and the balance of power on the British heavyweight scene shifted back in his favour and away from Harrison.For the first time in his career, Williams responded spitefully to some of Harrison's comments during the days and weeks after his victory against Tyson.At about the same time Harrison moved from Wembley to Las Vegas and claimed that he was finished with British boxing. Another brother, Michael, was competing for the record prize fund of $1m (£635,000) on offer at the inaugural Las Vegas World Invitational. Brazil's Olympic champion, Rodrigo Pessoa, took the plum reward of $250,000 when winning the Grand Prix, with Nick Skelton collecting second prize ($178,000) and Michael Whitaker fourth ($75,000).. Not to be outdone by his uncle, William Whitaker filled the top two places in yesterday's Kitt-Kraiburg Junior Show Jumper of the Year with Indien de Here and Colton Maelstrom.

The atmosphere of bygone Horse of the Year Shows had been recaptured in a wonderful finale to the Puissance on Saturday night when John Whitaker, a crowd favourite, cleared the wall at 7ft 1in on both his mounts ­ Lactic II and Exploit du Roulard ­ leaving the two horses as equal first. Twomey's victories (which included yesterday's Speed Horse of the Year title) were achieved with a borrowed mare, Intermission, which he had sat on for the first time on Thursday. Robert Maguire brought the Horse of the Year Show to a stirring conclusion yesterday at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre when he rode his long-standing Irish-bred mount Two Mills Showtime to win the Tack365 Leading Show Jumper of the Year. I've got insulation, double glazing and I don't run the dishwasher unless its full."If everyone lived like Alistair, we would need 1.1 planets.. I never fly unless it's essential, and when I go on holiday I take the train to France.