Latest news with #RedDragonfly
New Paper
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Super Salute's fan base looks all set to broaden
Super Salute has shown racegoers that he is not just a "one-track" pony. A prolific winner at Kranji - nine, seven for Jason Lim and two for Richard Lim (of no relation) - including three at Group level, the son of I Am Invincible has since gone where they send him. After he crossed the Causeway to continue his career in Malaysia following the closure of Singapore racing in October, he has tried his utmost to turn on the charm despite a bad back. He may have yet to garner that kind of support at his new home in Selangor, but he is getting there. Under the care of his new trainer, the Kuala Lumpur-based Sivan Veerapen, he has already won twice, once at his home base and once in Ipoh. Racing fans at Ipoh will remember him for that win on their track on April 13. That day, under a ride from 4kg claimer Nik Shahronnizam and sent off a raging favourite, Super Salute justified all that confidence by beating Mega Gems by almost four lengths over the 1,300m. It was then back to Kuala Lumpur for his next task on May 4. Pitted against some really good opposition and sent over the same 1,300m journey - this time in the more experienced hands of Shafiq Rizuan - Super Salute unleashed a run at the top of the stretch to beat Pacific Victory by ¾-length. Not done yet, he still had Penang to conquer and he could not have chosen a bigger and better stage to pull it off. It was on May 31, the day the curtain was to fall on racing at Penang when Super Salute took the commemorative race, the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy (1,300m) in dominant fashion, beating Pacific Vampire by 2½ lengths. A record of three wins at all three Malaysian tracks, from nine race starts, is surely something to crow about. That genuineness was still there for all to see on the morning of June 17, when he emerged as one of the stars on the training track at Sungai Besi. Taken out for a romp, he was not extended to clock 41.2sec for the 600m. Back to the present and Sivan has picked a challenging race at Kuala Lumpur on June 22 for his six-year-old. It is the Supreme "A" contest to be run over the 1,400m and Super Salute - with his rating of 117 - will have to give weight to all of his rivals. However, on the back of that most recent workout, Super Salute looks to be in a good place right now and should run a good race. Also catching the eye on the same morning were So We Fight and Commander. Both looked in good order when clocking 41.2sec for the 600m. The Simon Dunderdale-trained So We Fight is a galloper going places. The four-year-old son of So You Think has had a break since his last race on April 5 when he led but faded to eighth to Red Dragonfly in a Class 4A (1,400m). On June 22, the three-time winner (1,020m to 1,500m) will have just his second race over 1,200m. His last seven outings have all been over 1,400m and beyond. Given his preference for racing from the front, the shorter 1,200m of that Class 4A race could be just what he is looking for - especially coming off a break. Another one from Dunderdale's stable, Commander has been a good horse to have in the barn. Formerly with Donna Logan, who saddled him to one win at Kranji on Dec 17, 2023, the son of U S Navy Flag has turned the corner since joining Dunderdale. After a wining debut for his new yard in a Class 5A race (1,300m) in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 8, he doubled up two weeks later when stepped up to a Class 4 (1,400m) at the same track, beating Golden Lightning by ¾-length. Thereafter, Commander found the competition tougher in that grade, albeit he managed to eke out another win from Leopard Eclipse in a 1,400m contest on Dec 8, which was to be the last time he greeted the judge. He has mixed his form since, but would have inspired stable confidence when he finished second - by a neck - in his last start in a Class 4B race (1,150m) on June 7. At his 30th race start this weekend, he will trot out with a handy weight of 54.5kg. If anything, he deserves more than just a second glance. brian@
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
‘A village of dust in hindsight was a field of blossoms'
Shin Kyung-rim's posthumous collection finds beauty in life The village I passed, thick with dust, now that I've come far, it was a field of peach blossoms These lines, from the poem 'Red Dragonfly,' open "All Living Things Are Beautiful," the posthumous poetry collection of Shin Kyung-rim (1936-2024), released to mark the first anniversary of his death. They speak to the realization that a life filled with hardship and dust, once viewed from a distance, was in fact beautiful. At a press conference held Wednesday at Changbi Publishers' office in Seoul, poet Do Jong-hwan reflected on the late Shin's final work. 'That, I think, captures the very spirit of Shin (Kyung-rim),' Do, also a former culture minister, said. 'As I read and reread the poems, I noticed how often he illuminated what is small, hidden or dismissed. This collection tells us: What lives, simply by living, is beautiful.' The volume was assembled from drafts and completed works that the late poet's family, including his second son Shin Byung-gyu, discovered on his computer. They were sent to Changbi, where Do and editors sorted through and selected the poems for the posthumous collection. Of the 60 poems included, only a handful had been previously published in literary journals; the majority are being released for the first time. Divided into four sections, the collection offers a quiet yet powerful summation of Shin's enduring concerns and poetic vision. Part I centers on 'the poet's gaze that discovers what is hidden.' According to Do, Shin was 'a poet who loved the insignificant, the small, the overlooked.' Part II, titled 'Poems on the Road,' captures the poet's journeys to unfamiliar places and the people he met along the way. Part III reflects on 'letting go' and 'shedding burdens,' with poems that evoke the soul's liberation through detachment. Part IV, simply titled 'Pain,' confronts the collective traumas of the times, including the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, that Shin grieves deeply through his verses. Shin's son recounted his father's unwavering dedication to writing, even during his illness. 'My father kept saying, 'I want to write,' even on his hospital bed,' Byung-gyu said. 'But he couldn't write much during treatment. He used to say that writing poetry required deep thought, but thinking made his head hurt. We tried to dissuade him.' The family believes few unpublished works remain beyond those in this collection. Since his literary debut in 1956, Shin Kyung-rim has been a towering figure in Korean poetry. Widely known as the 'poet of the people,' he spent decades writing verses about the lives of Korean farming communities. He rose to critical acclaim with his landmark collection 'Farmers' Dance' (1973), a series of realistic portraits of farmers and migrant laborers, capturing their suffering and impoverishment brought on by rapid industrialization. His poems, such as 'A Love Song for the Earnest,' 'Mokgye Market' and 'Reeds,' have been included in school textbooks as modern classics. 'All Living Things Are Beautiful' is his first new book in 11 years, following 'Upstairs at the Photo Studio,' the last collection released in 2014. Poet Do, who wrote a commentary to the collection, noted: 'His language remains consistent with his earlier works — simple, unpretentious and sincere. These poems are filled with compassion for neighbors, love for humanity and moments of self-reflection.' To commemorate the first anniversary of his death, Shin's alma mater Dongguk University hosted a literary memorial on Thursday. On May 22, Shin Kyung-rim Literary Festival will take place in Noeun-myeon, Chungju, North Chungcheong Province — Shin's hometown and final resting place.
