it was one of the greatest hours in cheltenham history. the thing about bryo ny cheltenham history.convey the union between human and horse, and the ongoing conversation, if you like, that takes place between rider and racehorse during the race. she is probably the best thing to happen to racing in a long time. it is one of the most significant moments at this course in modern history. another amazing moment came when paisley park won, and if you have been following it, andrew has been blind since birth. and they are just good people, ithink blind since birth. and they are just good people, i think for yourjob and myjob, good people, i think for yourjob and my job, conveying good people, i think for yourjob and myjob, conveying these stories, watching these stories play out, when you know the people involved have this river of decency running through them, you celebrate their success. and there was such a wonderful sense of goodwill here yesterday. it was a joy to be part of it. and you want those characters in sport. and in the gold cup, one of the horses that really fascinates me,

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham.ally, two—time olympic champion james cracknell will become the oldest person to compete in the boat race after cambridge selected him for this year's contest in april. the a6—year—old, who won gold medals at the 2000 and 2004 olympic games, says it will be his "proudest moment in rowing" when he competes. thatisit that is it from us on bbc one. time for the news where you are. good night. hello, and welcome to sportsday. i'm holly hamilton. coming up on tonight's programme... arsenal pull the wool over rennes eyes, as they fight back to qualify for the quarter finals of the europa league. bryony frost makes history at cheltenham, as she becomes the first woman to ride a grade one winner at the festival. and england's tommy fleetwood is joint top of the leaderboard, after the first round of the player's championship in florida. hello, and welcome to tonight's sportsday, and it's been another successful evening for the english sides in europe. with both chelsea and arsenal through to th

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham. new zealand, in which 49 people were killed. it was the worst mass shooting in the country's history. today, security has been stepped up at mosques around the uk. 0ur correspondent shabnam mahmood reports from bradford. friday prayers as usual at bradford central mosque. but the attack in new zealand is on the minds of many worshippers here today. some told us they were nervous about what's happened. it frightens me, absolutely frightens me, and i really am lost for words, waking up to something like this. coming to a mosque and having a peace prayer and it actually brought tears to my eyes when the imam was talking about this. people were very nervous, very emotional, even within our women's prayer area. some of the men were passing through and coming into the main hall and there was that extra vigilance and just anxiety was quite high today. in london too, there was an outpouring of support from the muslim community. we just wanted to express our solidarity and companionship with a

cheltenham gold cup is always memorable.more so because 2019 is the year that the great irish trainer willie mullins finally landed the big time. six runners up in this race. the most successful trainer and cheltenham festival history. he has finally done it. he did it with al boum foto, a horse not many people tipped to win this. came home at 12—1 just ahead of last yea r‘s came home at 12—1 just ahead of last year's winner in fourth place. it was also a first gold cup win for what martin —— willie mullins long—timejackie. what martin —— willie mullins long—time jackie. i caught what martin —— willie mullins long—timejackie. i caught up with both of them after the race. it was brilliant. i thought it would never happen. it has been fantastic. they like it for them as well. a big day all around. you think with a willie, since you started out at that sport. how special is it for you to have given him the one that has got away until now? it might put me waiting for another a while anyway. i left school and went to him, he took

and history at cheltenham, as bryony frost becomes the first female jockey to ever ride a grade one winner at the festival. hello and welcome to the programme, where we start with the news that five—time champions sevilla have been knocked out of the europa league, losing in extra time to a late slavia prague goal in the czech republic. colm harrison looks back on a night of late drama. all square at 2—2 from the first leg, slavia prague struck first in the return sue a cameroonian defender. the two players then traded penalties either side of half—time, with wissam ben yedder equalising for sevilla, only for slavia prague to head back in front in the second half. the spaniards we re in the second half. the spaniards were heading out until munir el haddadi claimed second equaliserfor sevilla. with the two sides equal on the night and on aggregate and away goals, that meant extra time. franco vazquez scored early in the first half and sevilla were back for the first time since the first half of the first leg. that left slavia prague needing to score twice, even when mick van buren made it 3

well, welcome to cheltenham, where we've had a real mixed bag of weather today.ve had sunshine, we've had some blustery wind. and the racing itself has been just as unpredictable. a big upset in the feature race of the day, the champion hurdle, the two—time winner buveur d'air going for a hat—trick. he fell early on. that left the way clear for the 16:1 shot espoir d'allen, ridden by mark walsh, to claim an emphatic victory. so a real turn—up for the bookies there. one sad piece of news, with the focus on horse welfare here at cheltenham, there was one equine fatality, the horse ballyward in the final race of the day. but earlier on, i mentioned the weather, and there is real concern about the high winds that are forecast for tomorrow, whether they could potentially disrupt, even postpone racing tomorrow. there will be an inspection early in the morning to see whether racing can go ahead. if it can't, then all of the races scheduled for day two will take place on saturday, so there will be an extra day here at cheltenham, which is something of a logistical proble

tomorrow's racing at cheltenham is under threat following warnings of strong winds. city have reached the quarterfinals of the champions league after a comfortable victory over schalke. already leading after the first leg, they thrashed the german side 7—0 at the etihad tonight — 10—2 on aggregate and are now one of three english clubs already in the last eight, as patrick gearey reports. they might be reigning english champions, but manchester city's european inexperience makes them champions league teenagers, according to their manager. you wouldn't want to catch them in the wrong mood, like schalke did. this foul meant a city penalty. that meant sergio aguero and that meant one thing, this time with added style. tie effectively over, city then got beautifully brutal. three minutes later, raheem sterling knew exactly where aguero was. the only thing holding city up was the video assistant referee's checks. another three minutes later, the screen tells you when to scream. in pocket money terms, city are in another world to schalke. they bought leroy sane off them do

so with final preparations complete, the dream of a cheltenham winner has never been closer.sley park wins the big race of the day, the stayers hurdle, at 3:30pm, and fairto the day, the stayers hurdle, at 3:30pm, and fair to say an awful lot of the 65,000 fans here will be cheering him on, kate. thank you very much indeed, andy. the 19605 supermodel twiggy, has received a damehood from the prince of wales. in a ceremony at buckingham palace, lesley "twiggy" lawson received the honour for services to fashion, the arts and charity. time for a look at the weather, here's darren bett. yes, not quite twiggy, more a tree that has fallen down today in bradford, because of the wind and rain, and there's more of that to come over the next few days. this is the sort of weather we are moving into today, sunshine and showers, and it follows the rain we had earlier on overnight and this morning. that

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham.s coming in from christchurch, new zealand. the scene from christchurch, new zealand. the scene outside the hospital. plainly a casualty being stretchered into the hospital from an ambulance. a casualty being stretchered into the hospitalfrom an ambulance. that news as we have at so far. there are reports of gunshots on or near a mosque in christchurch, new zealand, possibly two mosques. police are warning of at least one critical incident. they have armed officers deployed in central christchurch. just coming up to 3:30pm in the afternoon on friday. they have asked people in the centre of the city to stay indoors. all schools in christchurch have been placed into lockdown. local media reported shots fired near a mosque within the last couple of hours. we cannot time it more accurately than that at the moment. we understand that the first mosque that we have information about there were about 300 people. there are reports of a gunman wearing a helmet coming in there. there are other re

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham. this time for a look at the weather.better, it will get worse, i'm afraid. we have seen wintry showers in northern areas, which will fade away overnight. the cloud thickens in the south—west end rain is moving north. it will turn to snow over the hills of northern ireland, the tops of the pennines, and later into the southern uplands. we are moving into cold air. some icy patches and a touch of dharmic frost in the north, very much milder south. in the first half of —— in the first half of the weekend, a rapidly deepening area of low pressure. we are not expecting it to be a named storm, but it will bring some very windy conditions. a real contrast interim pictures across the uk. —— mike contrast in temperatures. the snow won't last long and will probably turn to rain, but sleet and snow will continue in scotland. drying off in northern ireland, but really wet weather coming into england and wales. very heavy rain over the hills, and ahead of that, gusty winds, gusts of 50 or 60 mph. it would be as windy for scotla nd 60

and safety will be back in the spotlight at the cheltenham festival.et the manager taking on one of the most glamorous jobs in women's football. it was an unprecendented weekend. three separate incidents of fans running onto football pitches and approaching players. the worst saw aston villa midfielder jack grealish attacked on the pitch at st andrew's. he was punched from behind in the early stages of sunday's derby with birmingham city. he was fine, and went on to score the winnerfor villa. both clubs condemnded the incident at the time. on the same day, at the emirates, manchester united defender chris smalling was confronted by an arsenal supporter. he's been charged with common assault and the club said he will be banned for life. and 48 hours earlier on friday in scotland, at easter road, james tavernier retrieving the ball for a throw—in, was confronted by a hibernian fan, in a 1—1 draw with rangers. he has admitted breach of the peace. the man who attacked jack grealish — 27—year—old paul mitchell from rubery in worcestershire — admitted assaul

someone who knows exactly what it is like killing a cheltenham gold cup if wa nt killing a cheltenham want in 1999. fair to say this is not the gold cup result we were expecting. no, but i think it is funny that normally when you look to a horse's farm you see reasons why you probably shouldn't impacted. he won a great one at the punch down festival. in monumental error as far speakjackie is festival. in monumental error as far speak jackie is concerned, festival. in monumental error as far speakjackie is concerned, he went to bypass the defence and thought what am i doing. he missed out on a big price. ithink what am i doing. he missed out on a big price. i think the what am i doing. he missed out on a big price. ithink the more what am i doing. he missed out on a big price. i think the more than made up for it today. not that the owners and trainers stuck with him and now he has gone on to win the biggest and the best, the one that eve ryo ne biggest and the best, the one that everyone wants. you have to realise it doesn't come any bigger than the gold cup. the grand national is the

and, limbering up, paisley park is the horse who nearly died — can he and his owner, deliver a cheltenhamry tale? and in the sport on bbc news, a surprise omission from the england side to face scotland in the six nations, joe thockanagia doesn't event make the bench. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. a former paratrooper,

well, welcome to cheltenham where we have had a real mixed bag of the weather today.self has been just as unpredictable. lottery win. and the racing itself has beenjust as unpredictable. a big upset in the feature race of the day, the champion hurdle, the two—time winner going for a hat—trick. he fell early on. that left the weekly for these 16—1 shot, espoir d'allen, ridden by mark walsh to claim an emphatic victory. a real turn up before the bookies there. one sad piece of news, with the focus on horse welfare here at cheltenham, there was one equine fatality, the horse valley water in the final race of the day. earlier oni the final race of the day. earlier on i mentioned the weather. there is a real concern about the high winds that are forecast for tomorrow, whether they could potentially disrupt or even postpone it racing tomorrow. there will be an inspection early in the morning to see whether racing can go ahead. if it can't than all of the races scheduled for day two will take place on saturday, so there will hello there. it will be another very windy day for

cheltenham today, notjust that one.ike today, early rain clearing and then sunshine and showers but trouble is brewing for saturday. what am i talking about? join me later to find out. hello everyone, this is afternoon live. i'm simon mccoy. in the next hour, mps will begin voting once again on brexit — this time on the issue of whether there should be a delay to the process, until the end ofjune, subject to approval from the eu. that may not be as simple as it sounds. after parliament's vote last night to rule out a no—deal, the prime minister will try for a third time to get her withdrawal deal through, but with the clock ticking until march 29th, which at the moment is still brexit day,she's running out of time. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth reports. things looked pretty bleak in westminster this morning. what is happening with brexit is still unclear. revoke article 50. and, for many, frustration is growing. last night, there were dramatic scenes in parliament, as mps rejected the idea of leaving the eu w

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham.ok at the papers with our reviewers lucy fisher, defence correspondent at the times and anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30pm. now it's time for the weather with stav da naos. we ending this working week on a very windy note, fide is looking windy and also into the start of the weekend we have got a deep area of low pressure expected on saturday to bring gales, vein and also some snow across northern areas. tonight is going to be a blustery, these winds feeding and lots of showers in western areas, to produce longer spells of rain because the west. —— rain. it will be quite chilly in scotla nd rain. it will be quite chilly in scotland but milder further south, temperatures of seven to 11 degrees. he remains unsettled into fide, windy again because we have low pressure nearby and again to the north of the uk, bringing the strong westerly winds off the atlantic. that will feed in showers. so a blustery day, lots of showers acros

the cheltenham festival, we have a bit of history that has been made?—year—old, is the first female jockey to win a great one raced at the cheltenham festival. a brilliant moment to see her grinning and brushing off tears, and i love the fact that apparently she learned to ride h2 on a donkey and set up a horse. that's how she began her horse. that's how she began her horse as a stellar writer —— age to stop by on a donkey, 0k. what you make of this? it always struck me that horse racing, a sport which i know nothing about, is a sport where women are very prominent. this has to bea women are very prominent. this has to be a good thing, for the first time a woman winning a grade one. are you a horse racing fan?|j time a woman winning a grade one. are you a horse racing fan? i like to have a floss or occasionally. i can't say i'm an expert. there we are, lovely. her smiling can't say i'm an expert. there we are, lovely. hersmiling face can't say i'm an expert. there we are, lovely. her smiling face of the page of the paper. thank you both for being with u

bryony frost has become the first woman to win a grade one race at the cheltenham festival, well doneture. a lovely picture, she was clearly overwrought with the motion after winning this race in taking this fantastic record for women. great bass, started out in the lead, two miles and five furloughs, started out in the lead on her horse frodon, with whom she has built a great relationship over two seasons. i was interested to read that she learnt to ride on a donkey named nosey, at the age of two. you a fan? i am not, but it is interesting, isn't it? because horseracing is often criticised for being sort of fusty male dominated, and then yesterday we had been blind from birth, his horse triumphed in a base, and then we have a woman jockey winning a race. to see this and said on the front page of the newspaper is really, really good for sport in general, i think. newspaper is really, really good for sport in general, ithink. lovely. all right, thank you so much. -- to see this. that's it for the papers tonight. don't forget you can see the front pages of the papers online on the bbc n

i think he must be, it must be 50 years since i went to my face cheltenham, i have always loved it andam of a cheltenham winner has never been closer. you can hear how paisley park gets on in the stayer‘s hurdle on 5 live this afternoon from 3:15. the rest of the day‘s coverage is on 5 live sports extra past one this afternoon. that is my day spot —— that is my day sorted! thank you very much. i mentioned we were due to hear the latest figures of knife crime in england and wales. they have been published, so what are the headlines from this latest report, danny? these figures really reflect the fact that knife crime is a considerable problem in england and where is at the moment. these are figures compiled by the ministry ofjustice for last year, 2018, and for people who are cautioned or prosecuted for carrying a knife or another band weapon. and what they show is that the number of offences that were dealt with was 21,484 last year and that is the highest number since 2009. so we are at a record number of offences dealt by the criminal justice system for number of offences dealt by th

what a memorable day we‘ve had a cheltenham. a grade one race over the jumps in the history of the festival. it was some ride by her, she got a wonderful reception when she got a wonderful reception when she came back here afterwards. honestly it was bonkers. i was like, oh my god. they said that was the first time it's ever been happened, andl first time it's ever been happened, and i thought it was cool. they say fairy tales don't come true, only on very rare occasions. i fairy tales don't come true, only on very rare occasions. i guess fairy tales don't come true, only on very rare occasions. i guess i flipped a coin and i've landed on a rare occasion today. that was followed by in that area next race hurdle, another poignant victory, this time for the horse paisley park. paisley park is owned by andrew gammel who has been blind since he was born. he follows the racing by the on course commentary via radio, and he was able to share in all the celebrations, he said it was like a dream come true. still to come is the cheltenham

andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham.nd in which 49 people were killed. it was the worst mass shooting in the country's history. today security has been stepped up at mosques around the uk. 0ur correspondent shabnam mahmood reports from bradford. friday prayers as usual at bradford central mosque. but the attack in new zealand is on the minds of many worshippers here today. some told us they were nervous about what happened. it frightens me, absolutely frightens me, and i really — i'm lost for words, waking up to something like this, and coming to a mosque and having a peace prayer and it actually brought tears to my eyes when the imam was talking about this. people were very nervous, very emotional, even within our women's prayer area. some of the men were just passing through and coming into the main hall and there was that extra vigilance and just anxiety was quite high today. in london too, there was an outpouring of support from the muslim community. we just wanted to express our solidarity and companionship with all

she became the first female jockey to win a grade onejumps race at the cheltenham festival last week.irmed that next year's tokyo olympics will be her last. the 22—year—old won four gold medals in rio and says the wear and tear from her gymnastics career has taken its toll on her body. she says feels as though it is falling apart". england's women's cricketers have completed a 3—0 whitewash over sri lanka in their one day series. the hosts could only manage 174 all out after winning the toss. england knocked off the runs with eight wickets and over 23 overs to spare. amyjones and tammy beaumont both made half centuries. now the inclusion of transgender athletes is under consideration at the international olympic committee amid concerns over fair play. the debate has been loudest when it comes to trans women lining up in the female category. critics argue they have an unfair advantage, but denying them the right to compete in the gender they identify with, has been described as a violation of their human rights. with next year's games in tokyo expected to feature the first ever trans a

and making her mark in horse racing — how 23—year—old bryony frost made history at the cheltenham festivalcoming up on sportsday on bbc news... arsenal stage a fightback over rennes in the europa league, but was it enough to join chelsea in the quarter finals? good evening from westminster where the house of commons has voted in favour of delaying brexit with just 15 days to go to the set date of the uk's departure from the european union. the prime minister will now have to ask her fellow eu leaders to approve the delay. the parliamentary motion says that if a brexit plan is agreed by mps by next wednesday then the extension to the process would be relatively brief. if there's no deal agreed, the extension would be longer and the uk might then have to take part in the european elections. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports on the series of votes taken in parliament today and why they're likely to lead to a brexit delay. speeding back to number ten with brexit going slow. the prime minister's voice that we could leave this month isolated for weeks, now drowned out. the eyes to th

the runaway favourite altior won the big race of the day at cheltenham, the queen mother champion chasetive victory for the horse. the 11 to four on favourite — with the dark cap in the centre here — was farfrom dominant and was challenged late on in the race. jockey nico de boinville had to dig deep to win by one—and—three—quarter lengths. altior‘s winning run started way back in in october 2015. probably not his favourite ground, but just of the probably not his favourite ground, butjust of the last, it looks like there was a battle on in there that's the great thing about him. he's got an enormous amount of talent and he just proved today he is very brave as well because he had to dig a bit deeper there and as soon to dig a bit deeper there and as soon as to dig a bit deeper there and as soon as he came to dig a bit deeper there and as soon as he came on you to dig a bit deeper there and as soon as he came on you know, we've got to get a bit serious he was off and away again. england centre manu tuilagi has rejected a lucrative offer from french club racing 92 and signed a new deal w

the expected bad weather failed to materialise at cheltenham on wednesday as the racing took precedencee which saw a familiar name winning as andy swiss reports. no doubting the star of the show here on day two. altior confirming his status as one of the greats of his status as one of the greats of his sport. although it wasn't easy. he was under real pressure coming over the last but held on to win the queen mother champion chase for the second year running. a record equalling 18th when across all races, unbeaten since 2015. an incredible feat for the jockey nico de boinville and the trainer. also the tiger came from the country chase in remarkable fashion. some 22 lengths clear of his nearest rivals. he is the strong favourite to retain his grand national crown next month. now when you're ten years of age and you've just signed a contract with nike, the headlines are bound to say the sky is the limit. and that's the case for sky brown, the skateboarder who's part japanese and part british and aims to compete at next year's olympics in tokyo. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks has

cheltenham in march is the coldest place on earth.gap here. and the whole point is that it cove rs here. and the whole point is that it covers the whole neck. just have thermals. this will be welcome for many people who hate travelling long haul. news. it has been decided that rather than forking out for a expensive business flatbed is put a mattress on the three middle seats. if you are ever on a quiet flight, you might do this anyway. they will be an extra 200 quid each way. this picture explains it. that is the middle seat. they just picture explains it. that is the middle seat. theyjust whacked something into feel the footrest and you have a mattress across the top. for another 400 quid return you can sleep flatbed in economy. they said there are only three of available on any flight. nonetheless, it is quite short so sally and i wouldn't fit. you must still ensure that the trolley stops for you. let's return to our top story now. another busy day lies ahead for politicians in the house of commons, as they prepare to vote on wheth

and history at cheltenham, as bryony frost becomes the first female jockey to ever ride a grade one winnergramme, where we start with the news that five—time champions sevilla have been knocked out of the europa league, losing in extra time to a late slavia prague goal in the czech republic. colm harrison looks back on a night of late drama. all square at 2—2 from the first leg, slavia prague struck first in the return sue a cameroonian defender. the two players then traded penalties either side of half—time, with wissam ben yedder equalising for sevilla, only for slavia prague to head back in front in the second half.

that is after considerable efforts to make the course at cheltenham saverfor to make the course at cheltenhamion of that statue. that is not the real one. the real one as much, much better. it's what sport should be all about — inclusion for everyone — and the special olympics certainly does that. it's been changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities for 50 years and the games in abu dhabi get under way tomorrow. there'll be 129 gigabytes athletes participating in 17 sports. tim muffett has been to meet some of them. glasgow, and for members of the special olympics great britain team, it is almost time to... we are very honoured. excited. the special 0lympics world games are held every two years. they alternate between winter and summer. in other derby athletes from across the world will compete in 24 sports. and how does it feel to be going to the special 0lympics? it is great to get picked. it good. why is it good? it is friends. what is the atmosphere like? cheerful and confident. what impact does it have on those who ta ke impact does it have on those who take part? massiv

his first win at cheltenham and the gold cup today. al boum photo.e will have all the details on what has been a fascinating day in racing. now on bbc news, it is time for the film review. hello and welcome to the film review on bbc news. to take us through this week's cinema releases is mark kermode. so mark, what do we have this week? interesting. we have ben is back, which is the story of addiction and recovery. we have the prodigy which isa recovery. we have the prodigy which is a very nuts and bolts horror movie. and fisherman's friends, the kind of a true story of the cornish singing sensations. kind of true story. we will get to that in a minute. let's start with ben is back. julia roberts. this is a teenage drug addict who shows up unexpectedly at the family home at christmas e. what could go wrong? crucially hearsay recovering addict. do you remember when that film papy beautiful boy came out? that was the story of a parent and child torn apart by addiction. based on memories by the sun. this is the story similar directed by peter hedges and

the cheltenham festival starts today. jump racing‘s blue riband four day meeting.n horses died last year as a result of their injuries sustained in races all of the team here absolutely concentrate on equine welfare, as it is of paramount importance. we do everything we can to minimise the risk to horses, and to ensure the surfaces, the fences, the hurdles, are all the best possible way can be. there‘s full commentary of the whole day‘s racing from cheltenham across bbc radio, starting at 1:15 on sports extra. with the champion hurdle, on radio 5 live — that‘s off at 3.30. and this evening, back on sports extra, there‘s commentary from the etihad, manchester city against schalke in the champions league — city with a 3—2 lead from the first leg. that‘s all the sport for now. more from the bbc sport centre at 11:15am. thank you very much. manchester city have announced they‘re setting up a compensation scheme for victims of historical child sexual abuse. the redress scheme will offer damages totalling millions of pounds to victims of the former youth coach barry benn

the cheltenham festival begins today with the champion hurdle the big race.s year on safety, with major welfare reforms brought in after seven horses died as a result of their injuries sustained in races last year. all of the team here absolutely concentrate on equine welfare, as it is of paramount importance. we do everything we can to minimise the risk to horses, and to ensure the surfaces, the fences, the hurdles, are all the best possible way can be. and finally, many sports can be cancelled by bad weather, but one taking place on the northwest coast of the republic of ireland needs a perfect storm. this is windsurfing at its most extreme. the storm chase only takes place when a suitable storm develops to make the conditions difficult for the eight riders. i don't like the look of that. you could do yourself an injury. i don't like the look of that. you could do yourself an injurym looks fun until you lose it. and looks fun until you lose it. and look how cold it is. you'd love that, louise. i think i would. look how cold it is. you'd love that, louise. i

the runaway favourite altior won the big race of the day at cheltenham, the queen mother champion chasetar of the day here. it certainly wasn't easy. he was under pressure coming over the last but he held on to win the queen mother champion chase for the second year running. a record equalling 18th when. —— record equalling win. the cross—country race was won by remarkable fashion, by a street, some 22 lengths clear of his nearest rivals. not surprisingly, he is the strong favourite to retain his crown next month. the main accolades today going to altior. there was an awful lot of buildup today. to pull it out of the way he did to battle up the hill. he is one of the best, a horse of his generation. the way the crowd have wanted to him showed today and we must appreciate him and enjoy him while he is here. probably not his favourite ground but there was a battle on. that is the great thing about him. he has an enormous amount of talent. it proved today he is very brave as well because he had to dig a bit deep and as soon as things got to get a bit serious, he was off and away again. tha

after finishing runner—up six times, cheltenham festival's all—time leading trainer willie mullins hasto, ridden by jockey paul townend, was the 12—1 winner. he had some anxious moments with hisjumping, but raced away to win by two and a half lengths. fellow irish challenger anibale fly was second, with the grey bristol de mai back in third. it is unbelievable, to be honest, i have never felt anything like it. it is unbelievable, to be honest, i have neverfelt anything like it. my whole body was shaking when i went over the line and it is starting to sink in now and it is incredible. yeah, i left home when i was 15 and moved up to willie mullins's, and he has guided me and to repay him for the trust and faith in the opportunities he has given me in the gold cup, you dream of doing things like that. —— and the opportunity. there'll be at least one english team in the semi—finals of the champions league. the stand out quarterfinal draw sees manchester united take on five time winners barcelona, with the first leg taking place on the 9th of april. last year's beaten finalsits liverpool go

to one of the biggest events, notjust in racing, but on the sporting calendar — the gold cup at cheltenham—hughes is there for us. can the festival's signature event create even more drama, after bryo ny frost made history yesterday? i sincerely hope so. yesterday was a wonderful day. thursday not generally seen to be the best day of the festival, but yesterday at clips that week so far. wonderful stories, bryo ny frost that week so far. wonderful stories, bryony frost winning the ryanair chase. real fairy tale, bryony frost winning the ryanair chase. realfairy tale, we're bryony frost winning the ryanair chase. real fairy tale, we're used to seeing female jockeys win big races, but not win great one jump races, but not win great one jump races at the festival. she made history. other great stories yesterday, paisley park, a horse that nearly died, winning for his owner. we had a wonderful day yesterday, wonderful stories, hoping for the same today. the sport needed it, because it was a less than ideal build—up with the equine flu and other issues. the big race, the gold cup, is the excite

news on bbc news, altior makes it 18 wins in a row, winning the queen mother champion chase at cheltenhamning from westminster, where it's been a night of chaos and confusion in the brexit process, with just 16 days to the set date for britain's departure from the eu. in a series of votes tonight, mps rejected any prospect of a no—deal brexit. those votes involved several ministers refusing to obey theresa may's instructions, and their future in government is now in doubt. the votes are not legally binding but mps will now get a vote tomorrow on delaying the brexit process, although that would depend on the eu's approval. the prime minister warned the house of commons that a delay was not likely to be approved unless mps backed a deal very soon. we start tonight with our political editor laura kuenssberg on tonight's momentous votes. there really was something worth watching for the small crowd outside the commons tonight, a vote, a result, the prime minister never wanted. it is a node to no deal. the country voted to leave. the country voted to leave stop when you're stupid, you've given

the cheltenham festival continues this afternoon.e feature race on day three. the favourite is paisley park, a horse that almost died a couple of years ago with colic, but he has won four races this year. it would also be a special win for one of the most popularfigures in racing, owner andrew gemmell, who has been blind since birth. you can hear how paisley park gets on in the stayer‘s hurdle on 5 live this afternoon from 3:15. the rest of the day's coverage is on 5 live sports extra from a 1:15 this afternoon. we've just had the first race of the day, the favourite won that one. finally, there was an important win for west bromwich albion in the championship last night. they beat swansea 3—0 in their first match since sacking darren moore, but the main talking point was this. swansea had the perfect opportunity to equalise. up stepped bersa nt selina. . .and this happened. not quite sure what he did there. his lips, we know that. it was an awful penalty. bits like laughing at someone's misfortune, but it is funny. they lost 3—0. th

and in the sport on bbc news, the toast of cheltenham, bryony frost, is going to miss next month's grandne after a fall earlier this week. new zealand is to ban all military style semi—automatic weapons and assault rifles after last week's gun attacks in christchurch, which left 50 people dead. the prime minister, jacinda ardern, said new zealand's history has changed forever, and now its laws would too. naomi grimley reports. another day of mass funerals at a cemetery in christchurch. these graves are a physical and poignant reminder of the toll of last week's attack. but as the grieving continues, the political spotlight has shifted starkly to the country's gun control laws. new zealand's prime minister has lost no time in announcing decisive reforms. new zealand will ban all military style semi—automatic weapons. we will also ban all assault rifles. we will ban all high—capacity magazines. it's a sign of the times that opposition to this ban is scarce. new zealand has tried and failed to reform its gun laws several times in the past. this time though the political class seems to accep

on the eve of racing's biggest jump festival — horse safety falls under the microscope at cheltenham.guarantees on long term funding. they argue that nursery schools, funded by local authorities, support children in some of the most deprived parts of the country and help to provide care for thousands of children with special educational needs. as part of a week of stories from bradford across the bbc, shabnam mahmood from the asian network reports his speech wasn't that good, and he wasn't that confident, but since he's been at nursery, he's really come along. every day, three—year—old levi looks forward to going to nursery school with his mum. how useful is this nursery for you? it's really, really useful, because it's not too far, and they've got so many facilities, like, on a wednesday, i take the baby to baby clinic, and get her weighed and stuff, and he loves nursery. it's in the heart of the canterbury estate in bradford, one of the most deprived areas in england, so children here are offered free places, from the age of two. we have a much, much higher percentage of children wh

she became the first female jockey to win a grade i jumps race at the cheltenham festival last week.ast year, although she hadn't yet secured a ride in the big race. a second—string wales side laboured to a 1—0 win against trinidad and tobago in a friendly last night. ryan giggs rested his senior players, including gareth bale, ahead of their opening euro qualifier against slovakia on sunday. that diappointed a lot of the crowd at wrexham's racecourse ground, which was hosting the national side for the time in 11 years. liverpool teenager ben woodburn scored the winner in injury time i wanted to keep a lot of the lads fresh. yeah, everyone is available for the weekend, so that's good. we gave players minutes you needed minutes and gave rest to a few who needed a rest, so overall, we are in good shape and everyone will be available for sunday. northern ireland host estonia tonight and scotland are in kazakhstan, as both start their qualifying campaigns. the scots kick off at three this afternoon on the artifical turf at the astana arena. the manager believes his young squad can finall

the cheltenham festival begins today with the champion hurdle the big race.es sustained in races last year. all of the team here absolutely concentrate on equine welfare as it is of paramount importance. we do everything we can to minimise the risk to horses and to ensure the surfaces, defences, the hurdles are all the best possible way can be. and the festival going for the rest of this week and mike will be there on friday. and finally, many sports can be cancelled by bad weather, but one taking place on the north—west coast of the republic of ireland needs a perfect storm. watch this. this is windsurfing at its most extreme. 0h oh my goodness. the red bull storm chase only takes place when a suitable storm develops to make the conditions difficult for the eight riders. say they all have to be ready for the weather to be bad enough. —— so they all have to be ready for the weather to be bad enough. they earn points forjumps, tricks and wave riding. the competition is due to finish today in donegal. some of them landed the most incrediblejumps some of them la

after finishing runner up six times, cheltenham festival's all—time leading trainer willie mullins hasphoto, ridden byjockey paul townend was a 12—1 winner. he had some anxious moments with his jumping but raced away to win by two—and—a—half lengths. fellow irish challenger anibale fly was second with the grey like it it's unbelievable, but never felt anything like it. my whole body was shaking and it's starting to sink in. left home at 15 gone off to willy's and it's great, with all the trust and opportunities it's given with a gold cup you dream of doing things like that. there'll be at least one english team in the semi—finals of the champions league. the stand out quarter final draw sees manchester united take on five times winners barcelona with the first les taking place on the 9th of april. last year's beaten finalsits liverpool got the draw they were hoping for, they take on porto and it's tottenham up against pep guardiola's quadruple chasing manchester city in the last 8. totte n ha m i tottenham i will respect of course. i know them quite well. had they are in front, how did

the cheltenham festival is underway, national hunt racing's showpeice four day meeting, but tomorrow'ser threat because of the weather. and now the weather forecast. heavy rain in london, and heavy rain in other parts of the uk, it has all been because of storm gareth which is going to bring more heavy rain but also severe gales, there is the risk of disruption in the next 24—hour is and i will have the low down later on. thanks forjoining us. stay with us this afternoon as we'll be bringing you all the latest in the run up to this evening's vote. hello, everyone — this is afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. ata at a rather miserable westminster but it is quite warm in the building behind me. the government's most senior lawyer, the attorney—general, has said the risk of britain being stuck in the so—called irish backstop after brexit still remains, despite an agreement struck by theresa may in strasbourg last night. mrs may said she had secured ‘legally—binding' assurances on the backstop, designed to avoid a hard border in ireland. in his advice, geoffrey cox said the changes still mea

and what‘s with cheltenham as well... quick prediction for the six nations?come on, ireland! come on england as well, just to keep the balance. windy and blustery. hunker down? snow across parts of scotland. strong winds for england and wales. massive swathe of cloud coming up from the atlantic. underneath, low pressure. developing, winds getting stronger. milder air. pressure. developing, winds getting stronger. milderair. northern edge, something colder. split the country into two for the forecast. rain in northern england —— much snow in northern england —— much snow in northern england —— much snow in northern england turning to rain now. brighter weather to the far north and west. northern ireland, persistent rain back to showers and some brighter spells later. england and wales later, north and west wales, 14—17 millimetres of rain, perhaps flooding. dry the further south and east you are generally. staying cloudy with england and wales, very strong winds, up to 60 mph gusts. travel problems, even some minor damage. the south, 10—12. ba rely some minor

the runaway favourite altior won the big race of the day at cheltenham, the queen mother champion chaseo win by one—and—three—quarter lengths. altior‘s winning runs started in october 2015. the 5/4 favourite ‘tiger roll‘ later romped home unapposed in the cross country chase. the grand national winner was ridden by keith donoghue, the result gave trainer gordon elliot his first winner of the week. yesterday, declan rice was named ireland‘s young player of the year, today he‘s in the england squad for this month‘s euro 2020 qualifiers. the west ham midfielder has been capped three times by the republic, but they were only friendlies and his request to switch nationalities was approved by fifa last week. he‘s the only new face in a 25—man squad to face the czech republic at wembley a week on friday and then the match away in montenegro three days later. gareth southgate says he‘ll fit in very well. we have tracked him for quite awhile. i think they are really big decisions when you are asking a player transfer association. you have got to be very clear that you feel they have a future wit

we are looking ahead to the cheltenham festival and the guardian and the return of one of the best femalepetkovic to reach the second round at indian wells. looking back to her best. playing just her seventh match of the year, williams took just under two hours, to advance in three sets. williams‘ sister, serena, received a first—round bye, and will play victoria azarenka overnight and britain‘s dan evans and johanna konta both play later today. it‘s international women‘s day and the children‘s sports charity chance to shine is marking a major milestone. nine—year—old keira mcdermott from staffordshire has become the two millionth girl to pick up a cricket bat and ball, through the chance to shine programme, that has been going since 2005. the former england captain charlotte edwards awarded keira, with a certificate to celebrate the achievement at a special school assembly, and charlottejoins us from our london studio. what a moment that must have been. why is the milestone so important? it was such a special moment, going to keira‘s school. a huge thanks to the england and wales cricket

after finishing runner—up six times in the cheltenham gold cup, all—time leading trainer willie mullinsby two—and—a—half lengths. fellow irish challenger anibale fly was second with the grey bristol de mai back in third. manchester united manager ole gunnar solskjaer believes his side "can go all the way" in the champions league after drawing barcelona in the quarter—final. the draw sees solskjaer return to the nou camp 20 years on from scoring an injury—time winner there in the 1999 champions league final against bayern munich. the draw for the quarter—finals and semi—finals of the champions league has been made. liverpool will face porto in the last eight, and if they get past the portugese side they will face the winners of barcelona or manchester united. the two other english sides left in the competition will face each other with tottenham taking on quadruple chasing manchester city. manchester united are also in sixth round fa cup action today. they‘re away to wolves. seventh position. still trusting their own way of playing. they are playing fantastically well against chelsea las

it is the cheltenham festival —— next week. after her shoulder kept popping out —— harriet taka. she has been rebuilt by the recovery ce ntre taka. she has been rebuilt by the recovery centre by the jockeys rehabilitation fund and will be riding again. look out for her. the other nice bit about this issue will be riding paul nicholls blue poles force in its last race. talking of medical things, to remedy film in space, he was reduced to tiny and was travelling around the body —— remember the film? a miniature submarine was injected into a body. i think that it was a remake.|j think i was talking about the remake in the 1980s. that was the 1980s. what thinking about?” in the 1980s. that was the 1980s. what thinking about? i think it was the 1960s. riddell welch. these are about micro— robots. tiny crawly things. it is the smallest one to carry its own computer circuitry. it can fit into blood vessels in the rain. it can carry things like antibacterial medicines and things like that and a quick one. if you're worried about your b

the cheltenham festival has beaten the weather. the big race isjust half an hour away.ds young player of the year is in line for a first cap. thanks 0lly, and ben rich has all the weather. storm gareth brought wind gusts of 75 mph across areas. it is still windy and will stay windy over the next few days. more rain in the forecast as well. the details later on. thanks, ben. also coming up, later this afternoon we'll be answering your questions on the no—deal debate and the announcement on tariffs on goods in a bbc ask this at 4:30pm. hello, everyone. this is afternoon live. after the house of commons rejected theresa may's brexit agreement for a second time last night — it's another big day in parliament. mps are preparing for another important vote this evening at 7pm on whether to leave the eu without a deal on 29 march. meanwhile, a new tariff regime has been announced by the government that would be imposed in the event of a no—deal brexit. also today, the chancellor philip hammond has been delivering his spring statement on the state of the government's finances. i

and the cheltenham festival is under way.tter weather next week but before then things will get worse and i will have the full weekend forecast later. also coming up — school's out. back just backjust in time. good afternoon. at least a9 people have been killed, and more than 20 others seriously wounded, after a gunman opened fire on worshippers during friday prayers at two mosques in the city of christchurch in new zealand. explosive devices were also found strapped to a vehicle. a 28—year—old man has been charged with murder after what new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, said was a planned terrorist attack, describing it as the country's darkest day. our first report is from paul adams. drama on a quiet street in christchurch. wheels still spinning on a car rammed by police, a suspect wrestled to the ground by armed officers. the police dealing with events without parallel in new zealand's history. outside a mosque in linwood, east of the city centre, more frantic police action. officers called to the scene of a s

bryony frost made history in the ryanair chase on day three of jump racing's cheltenham festival.—level grade one winner over jumps at the festival. victory came on the 9—2 chance, trained by paul nicholls. idid not i did not even know until i came backin i did not even know until i came back in and said you know that was a great winner. i was still wrapped up and being followed, we had a great time. i was like oh my god. this is the first time it has either been done, i say that physical thing. they say fairy tales do not come true but only on rare occasions, but i guess i flip a coin and i landed ona i guess i flip a coin and i landed on a rare occasion today. paisley park, priced at 11—8, won the day's feature race, the stayers' hurdle. victory never really looked in doubt, despite a slight mistake at the last flight. aiden coleman brought him home a couple of lengths clear of the outsdier sam spinner. his owner is andrew gemmell, who has been blind since birth but that hasn't hampered his participation in the sport, so this was a hugely popular win. tommy fletwood is the clubh