Fortune received a five-day ban for irresponsible riding and will now miss Royal Ascot

Fortune received a five-day ban for irresponsible riding and will now miss Royal Ascot. But under the rules, he should have been referred to Portman Square for his latest misdemeanour under the totting-up procedure as he had already passed the 15-day trigger point.
The stewards had not realised that Fortune had been banned for four days at Epsom last Friday. The mistake comes two months after a similar episode with Darryll Holland, after which the Jockey Club said it would never happen again.At Chantilly, Egyptband won the Group One Prix de Diane, giving Criquette Head her first win in the Chantilly classic since Harbour in 1982. Ridden by Olivier Doleuze, she came home three lengths clear of the favourite, Volvoreta. In the Grand Prix de Chantilly, John Dunlop’s Lucido was fourth and Michael Stoute’s Little Rock sixth to Daring Miss.* The leading hunter chaser Castle Mane has been put down after being found injured in a field The eight-year-old is believed to have broken his neck.. The boats in the Europe 1 Newman Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic race set off from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island – a distance of 2,810 miles – on 4 June.

The boats in the Europe 1 Newman Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic race set off from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island – a distance of 2,810 miles – on 4 June.
The record for the 60ft multihull class is 10 days, nine hours and 15 seconds, which means that, if you log on now to follow their progress at the site, you might virtually witness a record being broken.You will need to register at Virtual Spectator and download the appropriate software (Windows 95 or better with a minimum Pentium II 266Mhz chip and ideally a 16Mb 3D TNT-compatible graphic card). Once set up it allows live coverage of the multihulls and the 60ft monohulls (which are aiming at a record of 14 days six hours) in interactive 3D animation.Switching between various views of the race allows race tactics and progress to be tracked. Weather details, wind direction and race commentary are all accessible – even e-mails from the boats. Although the technology may be heavy-duty, in use it is easier than most computer games. Similar technology was used in the America’s Cup, attracting more than 300,000 users.

Race news and progress in standard web format is also available.Virtual Spectator works well over standard dial-up connections to the internet. Broadband opens up even more possibilities – a shame that BT and cable company plans mean that much of the UK will not be in with a chance of getting a taste in the foreseeable future.One site that is up and running is a partnership between major league baseball in the United States and Seasonticket where, thanks to internet rights being successfully negotiated, on-demand video highlights are on offer. The site can be personalised by filling in a user profile so that you get to see clips and highlights of games involving your favourite teams.If you have the facility to combine two lines on an ISDN connection in the UK you will just be able to get enough bandwidth to see decent-quality video, but ideally you will need an ADSL line or cable modem. Those stuck with a standard phone line will only receive static pictures instead of 30 to 40 second video clips available within two hours of a game finishing.Online balloting is also available to add value for fans and get them involved with their sport via the internet It seems to be working. According to the San Francisco Giants, half of their season tickets this year have been sold over the net. Flash 4 is required to access the site.andy.oldfield virgin Site AddressesEurope 1 Newman Transatlantic Solo Race www.europe1newmanstar /ukVirtual Spectator www.virtualspectator Seasonticket www.seasonticket .