Aintree win gives Fergie something to cheer about

LONDON - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson had something to jump up and down about after a miserable week on the soccer pitch when What A Friend, a horse he part owns, won the Grade One Aintree Bowl on Thursday.

The victory at Liverpool came hard on the heels of United's unhappy exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday and the weekend's Premier League defeat by Chelsea which pushed his team down to second in the table.

"I've had a lot of great winners, but to win a race of this magnitude and class is fantastic. I'm really pleased," local media quoted Ferguson as saying.