Native Diver field in flux right up to post time

The Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar includes a lot of uncertainty for a 1 1/8-mile dirt race with only five entrants and perhaps fewer starters.

Midcourt, who would be seeking his second Native Diver, may or may not run. The 3-year-old filly Stellar Sound is looking for a race against females. Royal Ship, Group 1 winner on turf, finished third against maidens in his only start on dirt.

That leaves Combatant, whose form deteriorated following his upset in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, and Extra Hope, the “now” horse following a second-level allowance win.

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The significance of this year’s Native Diver is greater following the retirements of Authentic, Higher Power, Improbable, Maximum Security, and McKinzie. In the male handicap division, the door is open. Trouble is, few are knocking.

Midcourt probably would start favored, if he starts at all. He won the 2019 Native Diver by more than five lengths, and early this year won the Grade 2 San Pasqual at Santa Anita. But after Midcourt finished third in a pair of Grade 1s, trainer John Shirreffs backed off.

“He’d run a lot of races, so I said we’ll just back off a little bit and see how he’s doing,” the trainer said. “We’re going to make a last-minute decision whether to run or not.”

Stellar Sound entered the Native Diver “as a backup plan,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. Stellar Sound won an entry-level allowance by more than seven lengths last out, and is nominated to the Grade 2 Falls City on Thursday at Churchill Downs. Her status for the Native Diver is questionable.

Richard Mandella trains Extra Hope and Royal Ship. Extra Hope is an allowance-caliber dirt horse who finished second in the 2019 Native Diver. This year, at age 4, he is a better horse. After a dull comeback, Extra Hope jumped up with a career-best performance on Sept. 26 in his next start. He won a second-level allowance with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We thought he’d run good the first time, and he didn’t,” Mandella said. “But the race did him good. I think he just needed to run once.”

Royal Ship could be the class of the field, based on his record in Brazil where his five wins include a Group 1. Third in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in his U.S. debut in summer, he finished sixth last out in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile. The surface switch has been under consideration for a while.

“We wanted to try the dirt ever since we got him,” Mandella said. “He has trained so good on the dirt that we think we should try it.”

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Royal Ship could be nominated to the Grade 2 Seabiscuit on turf next week, but the plan is to run in the Native Diver, Mandella said.

Mandella said Royal Ship ran on turf in Brazil because the top races there are turf races.

“All the good horses point for the grass, but it doesn’t mean they’re not dirt horses,” he said.

The $100,000 Native Diver is race 2 on Saturday.