Native
Diver |
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On May 22, 1965 |
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(I will share with you, from my own personal file, the stretch run called by Harry Henson). |
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Click on Audios |
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Audio |
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I Was There! |
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My sincere thanks to |
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The determined speedster |
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Coal black, sickle-hocked, and full of fire, The Diver spread his legend across seven California seasons. His devoted trainer, Buster Millerick, handled the gelding like fine china, passing races when he had the slightest doubts. Still, Millerick kept Native Diver going strong through 81 starts and 37 victories, banking $1,026,500 when a million was a million. It was 10 years before Ancient Title broke The Diver's earnings record for Cal-breds. | |||
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Native Diver equaled the world record of 1:20 for seven furlongs in the 1965 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park when Viking Spirit pushed him every step of the way. (El Drag had set the record 10 years earlier at Hollywood). He won three straight runnings of the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar (1963-65) and flirted with the world record for nine furlongs in winning the Del Mar Handicap of 1967 at the age of eight. But above all, Native Diver will be remembered for winning three straight Hollywood Gold Cups from 1965 to 1967, running faster each time as he got older. | |||
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Millerick insisted that Native Diver was never better than in the fall of 1967, when he was shipped north to point for the Bay Meadows Handicap. But we will never know for sure. Always a fretful horse, The Diver was hit by an attack of colic and subsequently died from a twisted intestine. His remains were buried beneath a monument at Hollywood Park. | |||
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Native Diver |
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Hollywood Park was considered his home. A monument
was built in his honor. |
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The Hollywood Gold Cup of 1967 was a rarity. |
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Because of the download time |
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AUDIOŠ |
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Native Diver won stake races at 2-3-4-5-6-7-8.years of
age. |
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AUDIOŠ |
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Labor Day, 1967 - the Del Mar Handicap. |
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A tall, coal black horse stalked into the paddock, |
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Native Diver packed 130 pounds to a matter-of-fact victory
that day, |
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Eight days after winning the
Del Mar Handicap |
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When the papers carried the story, an entire state of racing fans mourned. |
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