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♦ Royal Vale to Seek Cup at Hollywood Leader in Eastern Handicap Ranks Has Won Four Stakes During Past Three Months HOLLYWOOD PARK. Inglewood, Calif-May 18. — Royal Vale, leader in eastern handicap ranks so far this year with four stakes victories in the past three months. will definitely be sent to Hollywood Park to run in the Hollywood Gold Cup. This information was telephoned from New York by Mrs. Esther duPont Weir, of Wilmington. Del., to Hollywood Park official over the week end. Mrs. Weir and her guest, Mrs. Roy Car-ruthers, of Versailles, Ky., who is widely known in southern California turf circles., both expressed themselves as highly pleased with the settlement of the HBPA strike here and with the prospect of Royal Vale running in Hollywood Classic, the only race in the world which 00,000 net is guaranteed the winner. Plans for Royal Vales trip to the Inglewood track are now being made by trainer Jim Ryan, one of the Easts leading conditioners for many years, and will be announced later. Royal Vale was bred in England and is by the prominent sire, Kingsway, out of the stakes winning Cora Deans. He did not run at two, but won four races at three before being sold at the Newmarket winter sales of 1951 to Clive Graham, the English turf writer who sometimes acts as an agent for American buyers. Graham obtained him for 4,300 guineas, which at the time was about 2,000. Raced in Hurdle Events After being brought to the U. S. to run for Mrs. Weir he was first tried last year at four in hurdle races. He was able to earn but ,150 with two thirds in seven starts, but at five this year he has reached sensational winning form. Starting his 1953 campaign at Hialeah, Royal Vale won one of four flat races on the dirt before bagging his first stakes victory in the Miami Beach Handicap, March 3. In this race, which was on the turf, he defeated Dulat and Iceberg n. in 2:2845 for a new American record for a mile and one-half on the grass. His next stakes victory was in the mile and one-sixteenth Bowie Handicap, April 25. when he defeated Ancestor, Post Card, Yildiz and others. On May 2 Royal Vale then conquered one of the best fields yet to meet this year in winning the Gallant Fox Handicap at Jamaica from such as Cold Command, One Count and Crafty Admiral. His time in the mud for the one and three-sixteenths miles was 1:5525. Just a week later, May 9, Royal Vale made it four straight stakes by taking Pim-licos mile and one -eighth Dixie Handicap in 1:51%. In this one, he won easily by two lengths from Cold Command, with Crafty Admiral third and other good ones trailing in Ancestor, Again n. and Alerted. Willie Boland was his rider in his Miami Beach and Bowie victories, while Jack Westrope piloted him in the Gallant Fox and Dixie Handicaps. Royal Vales earnings in America are now 09,800. which he could almost double by victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup.
