Del Mar The summer horse racing season will kick off on July 20 with a slightly different start than last year and an increase in the number of horses coming from Northern California.
Because the San Diego County Fair is held at the same location, the Southern California coastal track will start on Saturday instead of the traditional Friday, so the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes and $200,000 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) will take place on opening day.
The headliner of the meet is the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) on August 31. Last year’s edition saw the Bob Baffert-trained horse Arabian Knight win gate to wire, support Geaux Rocket Ride by neck
“Our biggest race day is August 31. Not only do we have the million-dollar race, but we have four other races that day, for a total of 11 races. It’s the highlight of the season,” said Del Mar’s director of promotions and events, Chris Bahr.
Watch: Bahr previews Del Mar’s summer meet
In addition to the Pacific Classic, the day’s card will also feature the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap (G2T), $300,000 Del Mar Mile (G2), $150,000 Green Flash Handicap (G3T) and $150,000 Torrey Pines Stakes (G3). The Pacific, Del Mar Handicap and Green Flash are three of six Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series events held during the meet. The winner of each of those races plus the $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) on July 27, the $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) on Aug. 3 and the $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2) on Aug. 24 will automatically advance to a designated Breeders’ Cup race. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held at Del Mar on Nov. 1-2.
The eight-week competition, which runs through September 8, will feature races every Thursday-Sunday with qualifying races each weekend. The track will also feature a second day of racing on Labor Day, September 2.
Participation on opening day was strong, with the average number of participants per race (10 of the 11 races, not counting qualifiers) above the national average. In 2022, Del Mar saw 10.4 runners on the first day; last year, that number jumped to 10.9.
This year, amid a backdrop of overpaying at many Southern California tracks, Del Mar cut its prize money by $400,000 from last year to just under $7.9 million. But with Golden Gate Fields closed, some former Northern California riders are considering alternatives to where to run even as the Northern California fairs continue.
Racing secretary David Jerkens said the number of stables allocated this year was slightly higher than last year.
“There’s one thing that I think is a little crazy,” Jerkens said. “I’ve assigned almost the same number of stables, and I’ve had almost the same number of horses apply as last year. We’ll have about 1,900 horses at the peak at the end of July, and I think we’ll consistently be around 1,850, around 1,900 horses.”
The conditions manual has been adjusted to bring some trainers from the North down to Del Mar. The manual states that the number of stables occupied by Northern California-based trainers has increased, with 152 designated stables compared to 116 last year.
“The applicants from Northern California are healthy. There’s been an uptick and you can attribute that to the uncertainty and everything that’s happened at Golden Gate Fields. There are a few coaches from Northern California who have never been here before and I definitely feel like there’s more interest. But that said, there are still relationships there that are still in the running and they want to support that,” Jerkens said.
The pack looks almost identical to last year’s leader, Juan Hernandez, returning. Among those looking to challenge him for dominance on the track are Antonio Fresu, Umberto Rispoli, Hector Berrios, Kent Desormeaux and Mike Smith.
