The Great Native Diver

Native Diver is buried under this monument in the paddock at Hollywood Park.

The Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park is named in honor of the California-bred Thoroughbred racehorse owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Louis K. Shapiro and trained by Buster Millerick. Native Diver (1959-1967) was the first California-bred winner of $1 million and the first three-time winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup -- a record that stood until 2007, when it was matched by Lava Man.

Native Diver, a son of the great Imbros, is said to have been as wild, unpredictable and charismatic as any horse seen on Californian tracks. Nicknamed "the Diver," he was a racetrack idol who provided many thrilling races for the fans in his day. One of those fans was the Shapiro's young grandson, Richard, who today serves as the Chairman of the California Horse Racing Board. Shapiro recalled not only the excitement of watching Native Diver's races from his grandparents' box seats, but also how he used to tell everyone around him, "Vote for Native Diver!"

Native Diver set six career track records, three of those records carrying a hefty 130 pounds. He won a total of 34 stakes races at six different California racetracks and was the 7th racing millionaire.

Native Diver died at the age of 8 of intestinal colic. He is buried at Hollywood Park under a monument in the paddock.

Horse Trainers Talking Horseracing Movies

Left to right: Mel Stute, Henry Moreno, Barry Abrams, George Vogel, Jack Woods.
The topics of discussion among the Thoroughbred trainers at Santa Anita are not always serious. Sometimes a break is needed from talk about the condition of the track, the availability of races to fit their horses, or the latest horse injury. Today broke cool and foggy, distinctly different from yesterday's clear, warm morning. And as several of Santa Anita's finest trainers huddled around their coffee cups, talk turned to their favorite horseracing movies.

Mel Stute insisted that Boots Malone was the best racing movie. Barry Abrams replied that Let it Ride was even better. As others chimed in, I made a quick list, which I offer for your consideration. If you have others, please leave a comment to add it to the list. Happy movie watching!

Boots Malone (1952)
Starring William Holden, Henry Morgan.
Boots Malone is jockey's agent and a wheeler-dealer who went from living at the Ritz to living in a room at the stables when his star jockey was killed in an accident. After almost 3 years, he hasn't found a replacement for him. Then he manages to buy a horse that's a bit of a sleeper and decides to train an eager young man, who turns out to be a runaway from a rich family, as a jockey. When gangsters urge Boots to throw the race, he faces a major dilemma.

Wall of Noise (1963)
Starring Ty Hardin, Suzanne Pleshette.
This movie has sex, gambling, big wins and losses, and exciting racing scenes, plus a cameo appearance by legendary sportswriter Jim Murray.

Casey's Shadow (1978)
Starring Walter Matthau.
Casey is a young boy in a family that trains racehorses. His best friend, a foal named Casey's Shadow, looks to be a loser, but turns out to be a champion.

Let it Ride (1989)
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr.
An average kind of guy with a slight gambling problem goes to the track and, mystically, it seems as though he can't lose, no matter how he bets. Naturally, he has an incredible day.

Sporting Blood (1931)
Starring Clark Gable.
Story of a horse who passes through various owners before racing to victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Down the Stretch (1936)
Starring Mickey Rooney.
A boy is adopted by a family that breeds horses. After becoming a jockey, he rides his horse to victory in the English Derby.

National Velvet (1944)
Mickey Rooney and An 11 year old Elizabeth Taylor head the cast as a jaded former jockey and a young girl who together prepare a wild but gifted horse for the world's finest Steeplechase. Grand national betting and the sport of horseracing in general received a huge boost in the wake of this beautiful movie, which won 2 Oscars.

And, of course, my favorite...
A Day at the Races (1937)
Starring the Marx Brothers.
A typical Marx Bros. musical comedy, but with a racetrack setting.

A Visit to the Santa Anita barn of Trainer Ceasar Dominguez

Monday morning dawned crisp and clear with just a touch of a mild Santa Ana condition -- making the San Gabriel Mountains just north of Santa Anita pop out of the brilliant blue sky like a giant movie set. It was a perfect day to visit the barn area at the Arcadia racetrack, so I headed to Clockers' Corner, where I promptly ran into trainer Caesar Dominguez.

Dominguez has been having a good run at Hollywood Park, with 3 wins from 12 starts in the first half of the 40-day fall meet. I walked back to his barn with him and had an unexpected treat -- seeing Rivergrade Boy get a bath!


A $25,000 Keeneland yearling purchase, Rivergrade Boy has won more than $72,000. In his most recent start, he ran 7th in the War Chant Stakes at Hollywood Park on Thanksgiving Day. According to Dominguez, he will likely run at Hollywood Park during the final week of the meet. The son of Grand Slam is quite feisty. Dominguez warned me, "Watch out, he likes to bite!"

A native of El Paso, Texas, Dominguez grew up around the racetracks where his uncles raced Quarter Horses -- Juarez and Sunland Park. He took out his license as a Quarter Horse trainer in 1970 and became the sport's second leading trainer by number of winners. In those days, Dominguez had more than 120 head at Los Alamitos racecourse in Southern California, and was Quarter Horse Trainer of the Year in 1989.

Dominguez switched to training Thoroughbreds in 1992 and got his first graded stakes victory with Fit to Lead in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Breeders Cup Stakes at Santa Anita in 1993. He currently has a stable of about 45 runners.