Del Mar officials hope rare Saturday start gives way to successful summer

Del Mar has carved out a special niche in horse racing.

“Del Mar, Saratoga, Keeneland are iconic, very attractive venues in our sport,” Josh Rubinstein, president and chief operating officer of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, said recently. “We’re destinations. And we’ve been on a terrific run at Del Mar.  We’re excited and optimistic.”

Del Mar’s 85th summer meeting season opens Saturday to a sellout crowd. Opening day has drawn 118 horses entered for the 11-race program. This is the kickoff to a two-meeting season highlighted by the third running of the Breeders’ Cup at the seaside oval Nov. 1-2.

The highlight of the 31-day, eight-weekend summer meeting is the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 31. Every racing week after this weekend is Thursday through Sunday through closing day (Sept. 8), except for a five-day week that ends with Labor Day (Sept. 2).

Opening day’s first post is scheduled for 2 p.m., although the gates will open at 11:30 a.m. as Del Mar begins its summer season on a Saturday for only the third time in history and the first time since 1953. The first Saturday opening came on July 5, 1937 – when track founder Bing Crosby greeted fans at the gate for Del Mar’s historic debut.

Opening day was pushed back two days this year because the San Diego County Fair ended on July 7 rather than the traditional July 4.

“We lost two days of preparation,” said Rubinstein. “And every hour is essential in preparing both the main track and turf course. Our crew has done an amazing job. Del Mar is ready.”

Saturday’s festivities include the traditional hat contest and climaxes with two stakes races on the turf — the Grade II San Clemente Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Antonio Fresu, who finished second to Juan Hernandez in last summer’s final jockey standings, will be aboard the morning-line favorite in both races. He’s riding Medoro in the San Clemente and King of Gosford in the Oceanside.

The Peter Eurton-trained Medoro is scheduled to face 11 fillies in the San Clemente as she seeks a fifth straight win on the grass, the last three being stakes victories. King of Gosford, a British-bred colt prepared by defending Del Mar trainer champion Philip D’Amato, has three wins in as many starts in the U.S.

While D’Amato and Hernandez will be defending their titles, the jockey race figures to be competitive.

Hernandez won last summer’s jockey title with 39 wins to 31 wins for Fresu and 29 for turf specialist Umberto Rispoli. All return.

But the jockey colony has been strengthened by the return of two-time fall meeting riding champion Abel Cedillo, Tyler Baze and Joe Talamo. In addition, there are four notable newcomers in Japan’s Kazushi Kimura, Chile’s Jeremy Laprida, Reylu Gutierrez from the East Coast and apprentice Welfin Orantes from Guatemala.

Seven-time Del Mar riding champion Flavien Prat is expected to return from the East Coast for major races, including the Pacific Classic.

Racing secretary David Jerkens said Del Mar will stable “very close” to the same number of horses (1,850 to 1,900) it did last year, although there has been more interest from outside the area and Northern California, where Golden Gate Fields has closed.

“Historically, we get strong participation from the north,” said Rubinstein. “We’ll pick up some more business this year. Northern California trainer Steve Sherman will be here. But it’s very fluid up north. Trainers are still figuring out where they want to be.”

“There’s definitely more interest from the north and from outside the area,” said Jerkens. “We’ve typically seen an uptick because of Golden Gates.”

Twelve out-of-state trainers have also been assigned stalls at Del Mar with horses also stabled at San Luis Rey Downs and Los Alamitos.

Jerkens said in addition to Del Mar being a lure, the return of the 2024 and 2025 Breeders’ Cup should have a positive impact on the summer meeting.

“The timing between the Pacific Classic, our other Grade I stakes and the Breeders’ Cup is almost perfect,” said Jerkens. “The last two times the Breeders’ Cup was here, trainers would send out horses to Del Mar that they planned to run in the Breeders’ Cup to get to know the track and the area. That could boost the Pacific Classic and some of our other late-season fields.”

“A lot of trainers and owners save their horses for Del Mar,” said Rubinstein. “We offer the best purses on the circuit.”

There are 292 proposed races scheduled for the Del Mar summer meet with purses totaling $26.6 million.

Rubinstein said preseason ticket sales were up 5 percent and “strong in quality areas” for Del Mar’s summer meeting. Over the past two years, Del Mar has averaged over nine horses per race during the summer.

Rubinstein said Del Mar would be expanding its free meal program for backstretch workers in 2024.

“We served 18,700 free meals to backstretch workers from Thursday to Sunday last year,” said Rubinstein. “We’ve expanded to five days a week, Wednesday to Sunday, Yes, it’s good for business, but it’s also the right thing to do.”

Opening Day at Del Mar

• When: Saturday; first post at 2 p.m. (gates open at 11:30 a.m.)

• Where: Del Mar racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

• General admission: Daily: $8, Diamond Club: $4; tickets free for kids 17 and younger and active military. Note: Opening Day is sold out.

• Parking: Opening day: General: $15: Preferred $30: Valet $40; General: $10; Preferred: $20, Valet: $30;

• Information: (858) 755-1141, dmtc.com