I JUST had to show you this cracking picture of action from last Saturday's Grand National taken by my mate and former Evening Press photographer John Giles.

John now works for the Press Association and gallivants all over the world in search of great pictures. And he never fails to come up trumps, his byline appears in all the nationals all the time.

John, 52, of Bolton Percy, near York, was at the three-day Aintree festival last week which culminated in the Grand National and this action-packed shot, which modest John tagged simply "National Fallers 3".

The day before he should have been in London to pick up an award for his stunning pile-up picture of cyclists coming a cropper in Sydney Olympics.

"I had to ask someone else to receive my award 'cos I was at Aintree," explains John.

But the nicest thing about Gilesy is not just that he's a great snapper... he's a nice guy too. Snap to it, John

u Black Bess and I were in York's Walker's Bar on Micklegate and were amazed to see a pantomime horse head past on its way to the dance floor.

After a brief conversation with the DJ, the front end headed for the street - without the back end which had started bopping!

Amused drinkers watched as the stretched horse got longer and longer, although the pair finally decided to split in the same direction before they split in two.

After a brief trot up and down Micklegate, they came back to the bar for a little refreshment.

Unfortunately, the front end failed to negotiate the two steps half way down the bar and crashed on to the stool recently vacated by Bess, hitting its head so hard I thought of calling for a vet, another pint or a shrink.

Of course, the back end didn't know what the front end was doing, and so he kept running and the entire nag ended in a heap - as did many drinkers who were convulsed with mirth.

A steward's inquiry was not ordered, although no one was quite sure why a Noddy Holder look-alike was following the horse round with a cut-out guitar. Unless he was planning to use it as a shovel?

u ONE of my eagle-eyed informants tells of a snippet of graffiti on an alleyway wall just near Waterstone's bookstore in York which reads: Vote Noah For York.

An interesting biblical reference given the impending General Election and the city's propensity to flood.

u I SAW a blanket-wrapped beggar huddled outside the Monkgate Cloisters entrance to the Foss Bank Sainsbury's in York this week just half an hour before the store shut at 7pm.

Perched on his cardboard 'lounger', he looked so pathetic I decided not to rob him of his miserable coppers.

Twenty minutes later I saw him looking all spruced up, chirpy and chipper sporting a gold earring in front of me at the Sainsbury check-out. I'd gone for a tin of the store's economy baked beans but noticed his basket held no such frugal economies.

I know, I know, everyone's got to eat. I'm no elitist and I'm all for genuine homeless people getting a better deal all round, but it beggared belief to see him shopping with the people he was putting the bite on just minutes before.

It would make more sense to beg at the end of the check-out or just get shoppers to donate a can or the odd side of smoked salmon on their way out of the store.

But what really hissed me off was when I followed him out into the car park and he whipped out his mobile phone. And we all know how much I loathe mobile phones.

u SPEAKING of which, a York beggar asked a man for a quid.

"Will you buy booze?"

"No," said the beggar.

"Will you gamble it away?"

"No," said the beggar.

"Will you come home with me so my wife can see what happens to a man who doesn't drink or gamble?" said the man.

u HERE'S a bit of an own-goal... York's Oaklands Sports Centre at Acomb is staging a junior six-a-side indoor football tournament during the Easter holiday advertised as "minimum eight players per team."

u SPOTTED this written in the grime on the back of a white van in York's Market Street - Quiet! Asylum-seekers trying to sleep.

u AS Britain struggles with foot and mouth, the Japanese banking crisis shows no signs of abating. Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank plans to cut back some of its branches.

Karaoke Bank is up for sale and is going for a song. Meanwhile, shares in Kamikaze Bank have nose-dived and 500 office staff at Karate Bank got the chop. Analysts now report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank and staff there fear they may get a raw deal.

u Odd ads...

Lost: Small apricot poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.

For sale: Antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it.

Wanted: Part-time married girls for work in sandwich shop.

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