Native Diver

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEW

The $100,000 Native Diver H. (G3) is the lone graded event on Saturday and a
large field of 11 has been assembled for the nine-furlong test. East Coast
shipper DYNEVER (Dynaformer) will be making his first start at Hollywood Park,
but the four-year-old colt has run very well when shipping west before and
receives top billing.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Dynever shipped out for the 2003 Breeders’ Cup
Classic (G1) and finished a commendable third, beaten only 2 1/4 lengths with a
fast-closing finish. He came west again this year in April to begin his season
and recorded a strong 4 1/2-length score in the San Bernardino H. (G3), earning
a 107 BRIS Speed rating. The dark bay colt faced top company the rest of this
year and recorded a fine second in the Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup (G2) two back. Dynever
runs well fresh and has been training forwardly in the mornings at Payson Park
in preparation for this appearance. There’s plenty of speed to set up his
winning rally.

SUPAH BLITZ (Mecke) merits serious respect. Switched to trainer Doug O’Neill
in August, the four-year-old recorded a game victory in the Del Mar Breeders’
Cup H. (G2) in his first Californian appearance and then finished a respectable
third in the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup H. (G2). He rolled to a one-length tally in
the Carl G. Rose H. at Calder last out and has earned terrific BRIS Late Pace
numbers all season. We’ll look for him to offer another stout rally here.

TIZBUD (Cee’s Tizzy) needed his last race off more than an 11-month layoff and
could move forward for trainer John Sadler on Saturday. The lightly raced
five-year-old likes Hollywood (2-1-0-1) and should put his tactical speed to
good use stalking the pace from his inside post. Tizbud could offer a serious
challenge into the stretch, and we’ll look for him to round out the trifecta.

TRULY A JUDGE (Judge T C) didn’t draw a good post (10), but his form is
improving and the six-year-old gelding relishes the main track in Inglewood
(8-3-2-1). The David Bernstein trainee should show speed to save ground from the
outside into the first turn and could last a long way. We’ll use him on the
bottom of some gimmicks. BLACK BART (Stage Colony) goes from turf to dirt and
should show speed from the start. The multiple stakes winner will be tested for
class, but he enters off a sharp sprint win and could sustain his speed longer
than many expect. Consider for the exotics at nice odds.

CONGRATS (A.P. Indy) has been off since August and is now trained by Richard
Mandella, who owns a record seven victories in the Native Diver. The
four-year-old should be in close attendance to the early pace and has turned in
some decent performances this year, but we’ll just watch to see how he fares in
his California debut. MUD SHARK (Deputy Commander) comes off a nice effort
against lesser for conditioner Bob Baffert, but he’s struggled at this level
previously and owns lower Speed figures. SIGFRETO (Spunky Rascal) has made nice
progress for O’Neill since being claimed for $20,000 in August, but he drew a
tough outside post and may be in too tough.

FORMAL ATTIRE (Formal Gold) makes his first start for trainer Patrick
Biancone, but we can’t recommend his chances based on his form this season.
CALKINS ROAD (Illinois Storm) comes off a non-threatening fourth in the Cal Cup
Classic H. and may struggle with the class hike here. VALID AGAIN (Awesome
Again) doesn’t look fast enough to challenge.