The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the “sport of kings” – thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumphing (or failing) over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity. And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuls of great sporting occasions, namely the Stuttgart rabbit show jumping. Here: Rabbit showjumping at an animal fair in Stuttgart, Germany, on November 16, 2014. (Photo by Action Press/Rex Features)

Leading contemporary artist Remi LaBarre describes his evocative oils as “painted songs”. Influenced by John Singer Sargent, his work reflects the lighting of hushed environments and presents poetic narratives of life after dark in bars and clubs. Remi's acclaimed artwork has won him a formidable reputation in Europe and North America. His premier UK collection features a breathtaking quartet of musical portraits which represent an atmospheric homage to his great love of jazz.

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

Indian ivory furniture legs in the shape of a goddess from the first century AD are displayed in the 'Afghanistan Crossroads of the Ancient World' exhibition at The British Museum on March 1, 2011 in London, England. Displaying treasures that were in great danger during the years of civil war and Taliban rule, these surviving artifacts reveal Afghanistan's ancient culture, its fragility and its remarkable place in world history. The exhibition opens to the public on March 3 and runs until July 3, 2011. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images). LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 01

“The Waterloo Cup was a coursing event. The three day event was run annually at Great Altcar in Lancashire, England from 1836 to 2005 and it used to attract tens of thousands of spectators to watch and gamble on the coursing matches. It was founded by William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton, and, originally, was supported by his patronage”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A Greyhound races after Hare at the last Waterloo Cup Hare coursing event, February 14, 2005, near Liverpool, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Mushers and their huskies practice at a forest course ahead of the Aviemore Sled Dog Rally on January 24, 2016 in Feshiebridge, Scotland. Huskies and sledders prepare ahead of the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain 34th race taking place at Loch Morlich this weekend near Aviemore. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. The caves stretch along the cliff for some five hundred metres and in up to nineteen tiers. The Church of the Dormition, dating to the 1180s during the golden age of Tamar and Rustaveli, has an important series of wall paintings. The site was largely abandoned after the Ottoman takeover in the sixteenth century. Now part of a state heritage reserve, the extended area of Vardzia-Khertvisi has been submitted for future inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List