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; i JUDGES STAND *y charus hatton PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 11. — The notion burgeons, here on the Hilltop, that Mrs. Esther duPont Weirs imported Royal Vale is among the most capable Dixie winners of recent years. And this appraisal is shared, we are told, by such astute New York observers as J. B. Campbell Deii and ana Jimmy Jimmy Kilroe. iviiroe. It it will win be oe in- Deii and ana Jimmy Jimmy Kilroe. iviiroe. It it will win be oe in- interesting to note what they make of the transplanted Delawarian when he is placed versus One Count in the Suburban. The lightly weighted Ancestor compiled what appeared an unassailable lead early in the local mile and a furlong, but when Jack Westrope called on Mrs. Weirs five-year-old he decided the issue in one stirring eighth of a mile curving for home, even though, as some observed, he was trying to bear in most of the way. The English-bred son of Kingsway must be a versatile animal, for he won the mile and a half Miami Beach Handicap, and the Gallant Fox, in the mud previous to the Dixie. Funnily enough, he had been schooled through-the-field and was only converted into a flat horse when he forced trainer Jim Ryan to conclude he had no talent over obstacles. This exactly reverses the usual order, though there is a rather well-known analogy in the career of the 1952 champion sprinter, Tea-Maker. Royal Vale, incidentally, reflects more credit on the resurgent line of Hurry On, as he is out of a Coronach mare. Bebe Grande and others by Niccolo Dell Area have been reviving breeders flagging interest in Hurry On blood in England during the past year or so. If we may say so without depreciating Royal Vale, two of those he beat in the Dixie have turned in better performances in the past. Alerted was obstanate about entering the starting gate, and paddock observers made some clinical comment about Crafty Admirals underpinning. Perhaps they will redeem them- Royal Vale Impressive in Dixie Victory Turf Course Scientifically Constructed Md. Natural Habitat of Intl Racing Matt Daigers Compliments on New Club selves in competition later in the season. But the best horse, pro tern, won this Dixie. AAA Turf course competition now enjoys a tremendous vogue in America, and when Cary Boshamer and his associates acquired Pimlico, the firt thing he planned for the future was a grass track. Pimlico now has one, though it is in process of settling and growing a suitable stand of grass, and will not be utilized at this meeting. John Jackson, general manager here, gained much valuable experience in the proper care and growth of turf courses at Arlington and Washington, and already the Pimlico oval is beginning to resemble them, scaled down to the mile circumference of the main track. In our humble opinion, Arlington and Washington have the finest turf courses we have seen in this country, excepting possibly Hialeahs. This resemblance of Pimlicos track to Arlington and Washington which we mentioned is by no means illusory or accidental. For it was sewn in Canadian and Kentucky blue grass and the sames pecies of fescue Jackson grew at the Chicago tracks. Again, the gradient is a good bit like Arlingtons, and there is a broad stretch of 70 feet, though it is Jacksons thinking perhaps fields should be restricted to 10. The grading of the Baltimore course required prodigies of scientific engineering, for the old chase course it replaces shelved away from the inner rail toward the outside and this had to be reversed. "We shoved mud and dirt about the centerfield for weeks," Jackson recalls, smiling now at the hardships. Though sprints on Pimlicos turf course would look longer than they are actually, from the stands, because of the circumference of the track, the Maryland Jockey Club is not planning to offer any of them. Racing at Pimlico under the Vanderbilt regime was dedicated to the encouragement of breeding thoroughbreds of stamina. Though it seemed the prudent thing to foreshorten the Dixie, the present management shares the Vanderbiltian views on route racing. And so, it would seem, does the racegoing * * * public. It is through turf course racing that international sport is to be developed in this country. John D. Scha-piros wonderfully successful enterprise at Laurel last fall, incidentally, is the subject of an illustrated feature in the coronation issue of the well-circulated British Racehorse — indeed, is the only U. S. event included in this resume of important racing about the world. We do not think any American club is at all likely to offer a stake having more global significance than that at Laurel, unless there is some extraordinary disruption of the present dates schedule. But the Maryland Jockey Club will be in position to offer a fall feature which will supplement the Washington, D. C. International. And we should think this would benefit both clubs, affording the owners of potential invaders from abroad two opportunities of winning in America. Wilwyn, who won the inaugural of the International, and whose remarkable winning streak snapped recently, is to return for the 53 renewal. And France? Worden H. also is a prospect. In a way it is perhaps just as well Yankees have only a detached, second-hand grasp of Tulyars worth, else they might be fully as disappointed as the Irish that he will not be pointed for this International. He is unique in his greatness among the worlds thoroughbreds of late years. AAA Many nice things have been said of Pimlicos im-Contmued on Page Forty I JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Page Forty-Four provements, but it remained for "Uncle Matt Daiger, who was for 40 years manager of the course, to give it the ultimate accolade. Daiger, a few days ago, took occasion to visit the renewed "Old Clubhouse," with its expansive, glass- enclosed dining terrace, enlarged wagering facilities and so on, and the veteran was deeply impressed. "This is really wonderful," he sighed. "I wish I had thought of these changes years ago. Unfortunately most of the advice we got in the old days was that nothing could possibly be done to the clubhouse without spoiling the general appearance of the building. Certainly what has been done has not harmed the general architecture and it is a much better place from which to enjoy the races." There are no changes in the clubhouse adjoining the grandstand this spring, and cynics have been unkind enough to say that the only way in which to improve it would be to strike a match to it and begin all over. It is a strange miscellany of rooms, porches, canopied balconies and narrow stairs nailed together as a series of afterthoughts. Some people seem to like it that way, but the betting is that the management can improve on it too, if and when it gets around to it. AAA Turf ana: The Pimlico course has withstood a terrific pounding in inclement weather uncommonly well this spring, as evidenced when the moderate Just Sidney ran in 1:06%, two-fifth off the track record, in the slop recently. . . . The insouciant Native Dancer is led to the track and paddock by a groom who would dwarf Jack Johnston. . . . The recent Verdant Valley was a prep for the Baltimore Spring Handicap, and revealed Mrs. Zelda Cohens War Age as a very worthwhile candidate, especially in soft going. So nimble a sprinter as Jeanne C. was glad to resign after accompanying him the first half, leaving him to win by himself. . . . The Downs employs a fair-sized crowd just to look for fires on Derby Day. . . . Syl Veitch last season thought Cold Command too small to carry 126 successfully in the three-year-old classics. He is faring well this year, not having progressed to such imposts in the handicaps.
