Jockey Reins In His Commute

Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who rode to victory on Fusaichi Pegasus in the Kentucky Derby, and his wife, Sonia, have put their Bradbury home of seven years on the market at just under $1.4 million.

The jockey, 30, has won the Derby twice, the first time in 1998 aboard Real Quiet. He then won the Preakness that year but lost the Belmont, and the Triple Crown, by a nose.

This year, after he won the Derby, the jockey came in second in the Preakness on Fusaichi Pegasus. The horse was injured after that in a freak barn accident and didn’t compete in the Belmont.

“There are more important things in life than racing,” the jockey was reported as saying.

His family has set what he termed his “priorities.” He and his wife, who grew up across the street from each other and were high school sweethearts in their native Louisiana, learned this spring that their 14-month-old son is deaf. The couple and their older son have been learning sign language.

They plan to buy a larger home more centrally located between the Santa Anita and Hollywood Park racetracks, so they can spend less time on the road.

They extensively remodeled the ranch-style home they have listed. Built in 1958, the four-bedroom 3,800-square-foot home is on about 2.2 acres, behind gates, and has a tennis court, five-stall barn, riding arena, pasture, pool, spa, gym and a number of avocado trees.

The home is listed with Gina Olivares at Avantra Real Estate Services, Estates Division, in Arcadia.

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Michael Crichton, the physician turned novelist-screenwriter-director who signed a deal with Fox TV this year to develop a series through his Constant C Productions, has sold his Santa Monica home for about $5.5 million, sources said.

Crichton, 57, co-wrote the screenplay in 1993 for “Jurassic Park,” adapted from his novel, and made his debut as a TV series creator and executive producer in 1994 with “ER,” for which he also shared an Emmy (1995-96).

He and his wife, Anne-Marie Martin, co-wrote the script for the movie “Twister” (1996).

He also wrote the techno-thriller “Timeline,” published by Knopf in November. On the fast track at Paramount Pictures, the movie is expected to be out by next May.

Crichton lives primarily on the East Coast and didn’t spend much time in his Santa Monica home, which he had owned since 1993.

The home, on a rim overlooking a country club, was not officially on the market, Realtors said, but the asking price was in the $6-million range. The house has six bedrooms in 5,500 square feet plus a pool.

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Mark Brazill, a co-creator, executive producer and writer of the Fox sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” and his wife, Wendy, have listed their Spanish-style home near Lake Hollywood in the Hollywood Hills at $849,000. They plan to move into a larger home nearby.

The house they are selling was built in the 1920s and was once the residence of William Boyd, who played Hopalong Cassidy in 92 movies and TV films. Boyd died at 77 in 1972.

The Brazills, who are in their 30s, restored the house, which they’ve owned for four years, during which time Mark Brazill also was a writer and consulting producer for the TV comedy series “3rd Rock From the Sun.”

The 3,000-square-foot house has a master suite plus two family bedrooms and a maid’s or guest’s quarters. It also has a breakfast room, butler’s pantry, sun room and den.

Garrison Key at Key Properties, West Hollywood, has the listing.

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British humorist Martin Lewis has purchased a three-bedroom Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills that he had been renting since the late ‘80s, when he moved to Hollywood from New York.

Lewis, who has appeared frequently as a satirical commentator on news shows on such channels as MSNBC and Fox and hosted his own radio talk show on KGIL-AM, also co-created and co-produces “Mods & Rockers 2000,” a two-week festival of ‘60s movies for the American Cinematheque. The festival, starting June 30, will be held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

As part of the festival, Lewis will host a British version of Independence Day July 2 at 6 p.m. that he calls “Co-Dependence Day” or “The Second Annual Mods & Rockers English Tea Party,” in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard.

Lewis, 47, decided to buy the 1927 house when it came on the market this spring “because of its sensational views and because after 13 years [of renting], I couldn’t be bothered with packing up and moving.”

He claimed to have paid “in excess of $800 million” for the house, but subsequently conceded that he was “talking Italian lira.” The asking price was in the $500,000 range.

Real estate and tax attorney Paul Kestenbaum of Kestenbaum & Hoffman represented Lewis in his purchase.

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Did you miss Thursday’s Hot Property column in Southern California Living? Want to see previous columns on celebrity real estate transactions? Visit https://www.latimes.com/hotproperty on the Internet for more Hot Properties.