Diamanté Price far from model for horsey crowd

“Everyone here has been very welcoming, there’s no snobbery,” enthused Katie Price – Jordan – after making her debut in the Horse of the Year Dressage Masterclass on Glamour Girl.

But now the nosebag set has taken full revenge in the weekly Horse & Hound. Lucinda Green (née, so to speak, Prior-Palmer), the six-times Badminton winner, complains: “Anybody who rides knows what she did at Horse of the Year Show was not real dressage. Those that don’t wouldn’t even know if she was facing the right way.” Katie’s diamanté lapels offended Jennie Loriston-Clarke, the chairman of British Dressage and an international judge: “There are lots of girls in dressage who look glamorous in correct attire – we don’t wish for dressage to look like a circus.” Carl Hester, a dressage Olympian, asks: “Is she going to make the 2012 Olympics? No. She might not attract people within the sport, but she appeals to those outside it.” Perish the thought. So hats off to Clare Balding for riding to our heroine’s rescue. “She’s the best thing to happen to the horse world since hard hats,” the BBC presenter rules. “She can ride in a meringue for all I care.”

Can 007 rescue British assets frozen in Icelandic banks? Daniel Craig does not want a repeat of the “cod wars”. “We seem to be in a quarrel every few years, and I don’t know why,” he told the Icelandic Frettabladid newspaper. “This is all about money, and the last thing we should be fighting about is money.” Doesn’t he watch the Bond films? Craig admits the trigger-happy secret agent might fail the mission. “I don’t know if his accounting skills are good enough.”

What is it about the Countdown job? Alexander Armstrong had a contract ready to sign to become the show’s new host. Channel 4 even booked a “celebratory dinner”. But at the eleventh hour the comic actor withdrew. Would Jonathan Ross fancy relocating to the Leeds TV studios?

Who says Gordon Brown lacks the vanity of his predecessor? The PM finally challenged one of his tormentors, Martin Rowson, the political cartoonist. “Why do you always draw me so fat ?” he asked. “Er, well. Because you are.” Too bad about Gordon’s summer weight loss.

Chrissie Hynde, the formidable Pretenders frontwoman, knows how to deal with Russell Brand. When she appeared on his Radio 2 show, the host boasted that he had taken her daughter, Yasmin, 23, out on a number of dates (can we spot a pattern here?) But the second that Brand began to speculate about “mother and daughter porn”, the singer said: “Can I go now? I was sitting in with my dog for the night, I’ve got a life too.” And go, she promptly did.

Postscript

A chance for Arsène Wenger to add to his silverware. “The Professor” is nominated for the Most Influential Business Thinker prize at the Esquire & Glenmorangie Man at the Top awards. The judges, who include Sir Stuart Rose and Duncan Bannatyne, praised his record as “the only Premier League manager to turn a profit in the transfer market last year, while Arsenal announced an income rise of 11 per cent.” The competition includes Guy Hands, the financier trying to turn round EMI. Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini ventured to question Woody Allen about Vicky Cristina Barcelona, his not altogether dreadful new comedy, for The New York Times. “Shall we talk about the film?” “I don’t care about talking about the film,” said Allen. “There’s nothing that I particularly want to talk about.” Eventually Woody warms up. “You know, I'm very shallow. And one of my shallow traits is an obsession with beauty. During the war, I could see how magnificent Rita Hayworth was.” Spotted playing on the slot machines installed at the O2 Arena’s half-term fun fair was David Campbell, chief executive of AEG Europe, er, owners of – the 02. Perhaps one day his supercasino application will finally come up.

On song for the poppy appeal

The Face Hayley Westenra

The Poppy appeal receives a musical boost from the Commonwealth today when New Zealand’s most popular songstress since Dame Kiri Te Kanawa joins the sellers at Waterloo station.

First spotted busking with her sister, Hayley Westenra shot to fame aged 16 with Pure, a two-million-selling album mixing classical, light pop and traditional Maori songs.

Five years on, the ringlet-haired singer has been awarded a “greatest hits” collection without ever tainting her “angelic” image.

Now seeking to be a force for good, Westenra is a Unicef ambassador to Africa and lobbied President Bush for a carbon cap after performing at the White House.

Westenra, who says that she used to be a “pesco-vegetarian”, describes herself as a “tough chick” who has thoroughly imbibed the rugged Kiwi mindset despite relocating to London.

A morale-boosting visit to the troops in Basra prompted her to support the Royal British Legion campaign after learning of a shortage of poppy-sellers.

“Wars may change. But the cause is as relevant to us today as it ever has been.”

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