General Challenge’s Comeback Edges Longshot in Native Diver

For the first time since a victory by a nose in his debut on Nov. 26, 1998, General Challenge was a winner in a close finish.

Beaten by Budroyale and Cat Thief the last two times he was involved in photo finishes, the 3-year-old gelding came up in the final strides to beat Moore’s Flat by a neck in the $100,000 Native Diver Handicap on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

Of course, the Grade III race wasn’t supposed to be close. General Challenge, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby and Pacific Classic earlier in the year, was the 1-2 favorite against only five opponents, but he was pushed to beat a 44-1 shot claimed for $40,000 earlier this year.

Bob Baffert, who trains General Challenge for owner John and Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm, pointed to the weight difference between the two, but it was only six pounds and the winner will have to step up his game if he wants to win the San Fernando Stakes next month at Santa Anita.

Winless outside of California and yet to prove he can win when faced with adversity, General Challenge had a gorgeous trip Sunday. He stalked the pace from the outside under new rider Chris McCarron, who took over from David Flores.

Flores, aboard the California-bred for wins in the Affirmed Handicap and the Pacific Classic, was replaced after General Challenge finished 10th of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Down the stretch, it looked like he wasn’t going to pass [Moore’s Flat],” Baffert said. “He had done that before, like the race with Cat Thief [in the Swaps on July 18].

“But, I think when Chris hit him left-handed, I think that got his attention right there. He has got to get it in his mind that he has to pass those horses. And that other horse, he just ran a career race. You can’t take anything away from that other horse.”

Fourth in his last two starts at Fairplex Park and Golden Gate Fields, Moore’s Flat outran Musical Gambler, the 5-2 second choice, for the early lead but simply could not last while finishing 4 1/2 lengths in front of 32-1 shot Koslanin. Musical Gambler faded to fourth, then came Crows and General Royal.

“It took the likes of a General Challenge to get by him today, and that says a lot right there,” said Kent Desormeaux, who rode Moore’s Flat for trainer Bob Marshall. “Given the fractions he ran [23 4/5, 47 2/5, and 1:11 2/5 for six furlongs], he had a right to be tough in the stretch.”

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Jim And Tonic, an also-ran in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, rebounded with an impressive score in the $1.3-million Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Race Course in Hong Kong.

Ridden by Gerard Mosse, the French-bred gelding beat Running Stag by nearly four lengths in 2:01 2/5 for the 1 1/4 miles on turf.

In other races at Sha Tin, Borgia, who finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, won the $900,000 Hong Kong Vase by a head over Bimbola.

Olivier Peslier rode Borgia and the jockey also won the $900,000 Hong Kong Mile with Docksider.

Third behind Silic and Tuzla in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last month, Docksider defeated Field Of Hope by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:34 3/5. The locally based Self Feeder, trained by Pat Gallagher, finished seventh.

In the $680,000 Hong Kong Sprint, Fairy King Prawn, an Australian-bred, won by a length over Crystal Charm while Big Jag, ridden by Jose Valdivia for trainer Tim Pinfield and owner Julius Zolezzi, was third.

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Baffert may have as many as three starters in the estimated $400,000 Hollywood Futurity on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Looking for his second win in the race in the last three years after scoring with Real Quiet in 1997, Baffert is expected to send out Captain Steve, an impressive winner of the Brown and Williamson Jockey Club last month at Churchill Downs; Purely Cozzene, runner-up in the Generous Stakes on the turf here earlier in the meet; and Cameron Pass.

Others considered probable for the Futurity, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles, include High Yield, an also-ran in the Brown and Williamson trained by Wayne Lukas. Lukas won this race last year with Tactical Cat, Malabar Gold and Cosine.

The following day, Lukas will aim for his record seventh win in the Hollywood Starlet, with probable favorite Surfside.

Third despite a troubled trip in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and best in the eyes of many observers, Surfside will be ridden by Pat Day. The daughter of Seattle Slew out of the talented mare Flanders, Surfside will make her California debut.

Classic Olympio, who has won the Anoakia and Moccasin Stakes in succession, Abby Girl, Bold Feat and Humble Clerk are the others being considered for the Starlet.

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Jockey Chris McCarron now has a record seven victories in the Native Diver, and General Challenge became the second 3-year-old to win the race. The other was Warcraft in 1990. . . . Innovative, racing for a $10,000 tag, had the biggest winning margin of the meet when he won Sunday’s opener by 14 lengths.