Del Mar Race Track’s History

The Del Mar Race Track’s Spanish-style architecture and laid-back attitude makes Del Mar the annual setting for one of America’s foremost salutes to the sport, where horses, trainers, jockeys and owners come together for racing beside the sea. The track sits a couple of furlongs from the shimmering blue Pacific (“where the turf meets the surf,” get it?), about 20 miles north of San Diego and 100 miles south of Los Angeles.

So what makes the racing season at Del Mar different? Well, for one, it’s not in LA traffic. But besides the typical different stakes activity and trainers, stables and jockeys it attracts, Del Mar is just plain cool.

And it all begins with the track’s beginning back in 1937 when crooner Bing Crosby and some of his Hollywood buddies such as Pat O’Brien and Jimmy Durante got together and found a spot in a sleepy town called Del Mar to start a race track. Now, you gotta either love horses or love gambling to do something like this. Most would say it is foolish, but the genius lies in selecting Del Mar as the track’s site. You see, a seaside track is just too cool…especially in the middle of summer!

Then, in 1938, the great legendary horse, Seabiscuit, came to town in an epic race against Ligaroti, where Seabiscuit, with George “Iceman” Woolf riding, won by a nose. How cool is that? Given that Seabiscuit was immortalized in the acclaimed book by Laura Hillenbrand and the much-anticipated movie based on the book has been released, well, it is very cool to know Del Mar had a chapter in the legendary horse’s life.

Through the years, the Del Mar race track ebbed and flowed with the fortunes of the sport. Some of the greates names in horse racing have graced its turf: Pincay, Shoemaker, Wittingham, Longden, Delahoussaye, Lukas, Baffert, McCarron, Cigar, Mabee, Best Pal. The list goes on…

In 1993, a major renovation and expansion made Del Mar an even better place to bet on the ponies, with a fully refurbished grandstand, an $80-million project that took two years to complete while racing continued. The “new” Del Mar race track retained the look and many of the touches of the old facility, but with more space, 550,000 square feet to be exact, and more amenities.

In the 2007 season, the Del Mar race track introduced Polytrack – an engineered racing surface that replaced its previous dirt main track. This made the new, $9-million racetrack more kinder and more consistent and therefore much safer for horse and rider.

Whether it is rubbing elbows with the well-heeled in the Turf Club, or with the sun lovers in their beach chairs down trackside, Del Mar race track brings a laid-back, fun-loving attitude to horse racing. Of course, it’s all about placing that winning bet, though. You might say, San Diego has put it’s stamp on horse racing…and losing money was never so much fun!

The Del Mar race track has the distinction of being North America’s Number One track in terms of attendance and handles for more than a decade.

 Daily average attendance has been in the 30,000-plus level for the past few years and improvements to the track are expected to boost this number even higher in the future. Daily average handles are estimated to be near the $13 million mark and growing.

Check the schedules at www.dmtc.com The 2014 racing season will open on Thursday, July 17th and will run through Wednesday, September 3rd, and, for the first time, will add 4 weeks from November 7th through November 30th, 2014!