SPORTING NOTES.

Shannon News, 31 August 1928, Page 4

SPORTING NOTES.

Pays his way.

The Arrowsinith gelding, Smithereens, who won rhe Woolston Handicap at Rieeartou and paid a big price, . was sold for £7 10s at the Trentham Sales in January last. An Ex-Levinite. Horoinea, the winner of the Connolly Handicap at AVanganui, .is stated to be hitting out freely at New, Plymouth, although he is not. being asklnl to make time. How Good? High Falutin', a three-year-old by Grandcourt, from Table Talk, who' is trained by F., Tilley, Fordell, is nominated for the Marton meeting. This gelding only started three times last season and his '-'best' perlgnnance was iu running third to lOpisiulo and The Begum in the Midsunnnev Handicap at the Auckland hummer meeting. That was his last appearance. . To visit Marton. Without registering anything special, Restaurant has boon bowling/ along freely in her work and should be in splendid trim to commence' the spring campaign, writes a northern scribe. It is probable that she will have her first -run this season at Marton and her for- > ward condition should be a factor iu <» her favour. Restaurant gallops well enough to win in hack company, but she lacks brilliancy in the early part of her races, and usually has a lot of ground to make up. Unless* she improves in her beginning, she may ai- ' ' ways be up against it in the big hick fields. ' Young and improving. A promising young, horse figuring \ among the nominations for the spring Hack Cup at Marton is Gold Cure, who won two minor events at Trentham last month in impressive' fashion. His form suggests that he is likely to win his way out of hack; company early .j this season and he may be a good one JH to follow, more especially as' he has done very little racing and should continue to make improvement for some time yet. Gold Cure is a four-year-old black gelding -by Gold Soult f row t; Engari and carries an attractive appearance. Valkon may come south. <

There are favourable reports to hand concerning the progress Valkon ia making in his preparation for . the spring campaign. It is expected that he will form one of the team A.. E> Cox is taking to Marton and Wanganui and he will therefore be under notice early. During the yast two years Valkon has been a consistent racehorse, and, though he was mostly in minor places last season, he wound up with a decisive victory in the Storey Memorial Cup at Te Rapa. Now a five-year-old, Valkon has reiaehed an age when he should be at his best and should be a good performer iu middle-distance handicaps this season. J Is he as good?

Mr W. J. Wood, of Waipawa, who used to race Miistrel Boy, with whom he had a fair amount of luck, has a three-year-old half-brother to him by Lord Quex, who will race as Chopin. It was rather apropos naming, as the dam's name is Tuneful, and Chopin Avas a .celebrated composer and pianist and gave to the world some of the most beautiful and fascinating compositions for the piano ever written. Chopin in his first outing at Hawkes Bay on Saturday last put up a promising performance by running second to Lucky Light in the Okawa Maiden.