A nine-race card awaited fans at Del Mar that Labor Day afternoon, Sept. 4, 1967, as the venue navigated through the second half of its summer meet. Over the course of those contests, a total of 86 horses would engage in competition as thousands of people watched from the grandstand.

But of all the Thoroughbreds who appeared on track, one towered above everybody because of his popularity and the plethora of victories he had collected since debuting in September 1961.

Native Diver winning 1965 Hollywood Gold Cup. (BloodHorse Library)

Day 36 of the Del Mar summer season featured the return of Native Diver to the area. Undoubtedly the best California-bred of the decade, Native Diver headlined the 28th running of the Del Mar Handicap at 1 1/8 miles. The visit to San Diego County came just over seven weeks after the biggest victory of Native Diver’s career. Entered in the Hollywood Gold Cup on July 15, Native Diver made it 10 stakes wins at Hollywood when he captured his unprecedented third consecutive renewal of the 1 ¼-mile race. But while history played out in front of a crowd exceeding 50,000, that particular edition of the Hollywood Gold Cup also served as a return to form for the great gelding.

Before taking part in Hollywood Park’s marquee event, Native Diver had experienced back-to-back losses in the Californian and Inglewood Handicaps by a combined margin of 39 lengths. The Diver had never experienced two straight defeats of that nature before then, but he bounced back with a second in the American Handicap on July 4. That set up a return to top form in the Hollywood Gold Cup, and Native Diver returned to action 11 days later to try for his third straight win in the race.

Heading right to the front at the start after O’Hara unseated rider Ismael Valenzuela, the son of Imbros led all the way during that 1 ¼-mile race as he came to the wire in 1:58.80. He ran the race faster than he had in his previous two Gold Cup triumphs — his time in the 1967 edition is still among the fastest in the race’s history — and he earned the distinction of becoming the first California-bred millionaire and only the seventh horse overall to join that club with his milestone victory.

Now 8 years old, Native Diver continued to fill the pages of California racing lore. After Hollywood Park patrons watched him conquer the Gold Cup once more, visitors at Del Mar now had the opportunity to see the legend again after his record-setting day.

But just the fact that Native Diver was returning to Del Mar was an event in itself. He had not been seen by the beach since 1965 when he captured his third straight San Diego Handicap, a stakes record he still holds in 2023. Local racing fans had waited a long time for the gelding’s return, and it happened in a race that had eluded him once before.

Native Diver first attempted to win the Del Mar Handicap back in 1963, but he would cross the finish line seventh. Now, going for a second try in the long-time summer staple, Native Diver had to defeat eight opponents in his bid to atone for that defeat four years prior. His rival Pretense, who had beaten Native Diver in the Californian, Inglewood, and American Handicaps, was not in the lineup, but he met up with a familiar face in Quicken Tree after defeating the latter in the Gold Cup. Joining them were Acknowledge, Balsamo II, Biggs, Desert Trial, Sharp Decline, Single Needle, and Wingover.

But as far as the public was concerned, the race went through Native Diver. The overwhelming favorite at 1-2 odds — the closest one to him in the wagering was Balsamo II at 7.20-1 — Native Diver went to the starting gate carrying high weight of 130 pounds while everyone else carried 120 or less. The weight differential did nothing to faze the fans, though. They saw Native Diver as unbeatable.  

Teaming up with Jerry Lambert, the jockey who knew him better than anyone, for the 43rd time, Native Diver wasted no time when the starting gates opened. Beginning from post three, he unleashed his trademark move of taking the early lead. The message was clear: Native Diver was telling his foes to catch him if they wanted to win.

As the Del Mar crowd watched, Native Diver guided the field around the main track. Through splits of :21 4/5, :45 2/5, and 1:09 2/5 for the first six furlongs, the gelding controlled the tempo like he had so many times throughout his seven seasons of competition. And on that day, he would be the only one to do so.

1967 Del Mar Handicap winner's circle (Del Mar Thoroughbred Club)

Perhaps feeling a sense of rejuvenation after making history in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Native Diver did not disappoint his fans. After one mile in 1:34 2/5, the gelding prevailed by 3 1/2 lengths while equaling the track record for 1 1/8 miles in 1:46 3/5. The Del Mar Handicap marked his fourth stakes win at the venue, his 34th stakes win overall, and 37th victory for his entire career.

If winning his third Hollywood Gold Cup was the climax of Native Diver’s storied career, then victory in the Del Mar Handicap can be called the encore. But as it turned out, the day proved to be historic in a somber way. The folks in attendance at Del Mar had no way of realizing it at the time, but they were witnessing the end of an era.

Less than two weeks later, Native Diver suddenly came down with colic while on the way to Bay Meadows. He was taken to University of California-Davis, where doctors did everything they could to save him. But Native Diver passed just nine days after the Del Mar Handicap, his 81st and final start. The shock stretched across the sport, but its strongest impact was felt in California. And those who saw Native Diver in action less than a fortnight earlier no doubt realized they were now part of something special as they saw one of California’s greatest champions win his final race.

Fifty-six years after his passing, Native Diver continues to be an icon in his home state. Over the last decade, his link to Del Mar has strengthened. Following Hollywood Park’s closure in 2013, the Native Diver Handicap became part of Del Mar’s autumn stakes schedule. Moreover, a mosaic saluting arguably the most popular California-bred who ever lived can be found in the tunnel horses walk through on their way to the track. And Native Diver himself now rests in the Del Mar infield. Originally buried at Hollywood Park, he was transferred to the site of his career finale in 2014. Whether it is passing by his grave, his mosaic, or watching the race named for him, fans and horses become connected to Native Diver’s greatness at some point each summer and fall.

He will always be synonymous with Hollywood Park and the Hollywood Gold Cup. But Native Diver occupies a unique place in Del Mar’s timeline in part because of that historic summer day in 1967.