Swaps was a record-breaking superstar in the early days of television. Best Pal won more than $5.6 million in the 1990s. The sturdy gelding Lava Man won all the Golden State’s richest prizes in the 2000s. Fan favorite California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby and two Horse of the Year titles between 2014 and 2016.
But some might argue that there has never been a greater California boy than the brilliant Native Diver, a premier speedster who plied his trade in the 1960s. Yes, he lost more times than he won. Granted, he essentially never fled California. But take one look at Native Diver’s past performances and you’ll understand why he’s still revered to this day as one of California’s biggest homegrown stars.
Native Diver, bred and raced by Mr. and Mrs. Louis K. Shapiro, demonstrated two major strengths during his distinguished career: abundant speed and incredible durability. Between his debut in 1961 and his last race in 1967, when he was 8 years old, Native Diver raced 81 times and achieved 37 victories. With the exception of his short junior season, Native Diver averaged more than a dozen races a year and won virtually every major stakes race in California, many multiple times.
Speed? Native Diver had plenty left. Over the course of his career, he broke or equaled seven track records, most notably clocking seven-eighths of a mile in a time of 1:20 (then a world record) while winning the 1965 Los Angeles Handicap.
Resistance? Native Diver had everything he needed. In addition to its sprint speed, Native Diver was blessed with the endurance of a top-tier router. How else do you explain his three consecutive victories in the 1 ¼ mile Hollywood Gold Cup, each achieved by at least 4 ¾ lengths?
When Native Diver won Hollywood Park’s signature race for the third time in 1967, it was as much a testament to his durability as his talent. The bay gelding, so dark in color he looked black, led all the way and won by five lengths in the brilliant time of 1:58 4/5. Such a feat would have been impressive, even for a four-year-old at the peak of his powers. Coming from an 8-year-old making his 80th start, the effort was nothing short of extraordinary.
“Fabulous Native Diver, refusing to bow to age and four rivals, scored a thrilling triumph… as a disbelieving crowd of 51,664 roared a warm and royal ovation for the king of California’s thoroughbreds,” wrote Martin Kivel in the Independent Star-News from Pasadena, California on July 16, 1967.
In some ways, Native Diver was lucky to be able to run at all. Writing in “Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century,” Jill Williams notes, “Native Diver was a wild horse through and through, who injured his back as a yearling during a bout of boisterous behavior. As a result, he ran with his head held high to absorb the injury. His unruliness left his connections no choice but to castrate him, but the surgery did little to ease his mind.”
Maybe that was a good thing. Native Diver knew only one way to run – fast from start to finish – and his freerunning style served him well for seven seasons. With the help of longtime jockey Jerry Lambert and lifelong trainer Buster Millerick, Native Diver was able to maximize his enormous potential and make history along the way. With his third victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup, he became only the seventh horse in history to win more than a million dollars.
Native Diver routinely dominated races that are still coveted as major prizes to this day. The Malibu stakes? He won it by 6 ¼ lengths. The San Francisco Mile? He won it twice, four years apart. The San Diego Handicap? He won it three times, just as he won the Hollywood Gold Cup and the Inglewood Handicap.
The Palos Verdes Handicap, the San Carlos Handicap, the Los Angeles Handicap – over time, Native Diver won each twice, and not always consecutively. Add to that a dozen other races that Native Diver has ever claimed, and the magnitude of his racing record becomes staggering by modern standards.
We can only imagine how many races Native Diver would have won had he not died prematurely. In September 1967, less than two weeks after winning the 1 1/8 mile Del Mar Handicap in track record time, Native Diver was stricken with colic. Although rushed to the University of California, Davis, veterinarians were unable to save the large gelding.
Newspapers across the country broke the story and mourned Native Diver’s passing. “The ‘big black horse’ thrilled riders and fans every time he took to the track,” wrote Ed Romero in the September 13, 1967 edition of the Examiner San Francisco. “For the ‘Diver’, even a training exercise was a beautiful thing. His morning tests were generally faster than most horses in competition.”
Millerick paid tribute to his stable star by simply telling it Examiner“He was the best horse anyone ever trained.”
Perhaps, after seven years of conditioning the brilliant, black haze, Millerick’s opinion can be considered biased. But then again, maybe Millerick was on to something. Browse the history books. Study the racing records of the sport’s greatest champions. When it comes to sustained success at a high level, over a wide variety of distances, you would be hard-pressed to find another horse like Native Diver.
Note: This story was originally published in 2019 and has been updated.
Fun facts
- Native Diver retired with a record of 37 wins, 7 seconds and 12 thirds from 81 starts.
- By collecting winnings of $1,026,500, Native Diver became the first California-bred racehorse to earn more than $1 million.
- Native Diver was a son of Imbros out of the Devil Diver mare Fleet Diver, which the Shapiros claimed in 1954 for just $3,500.
- Native Diver ran only once outside California, finishing sixth in the 1965 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park, Illinois.
- In 1978, Native Diver was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the best horses never to win a championship title.
- Native Diver was originally buried in Hollywood Park, where he achieved many of his greatest victories. When Hollywood Park closed in late 2013, Native Diver’s remains were transferred to Del Mar.
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