With a racing meet that will feature Breeders’ Cup No. 41 on its agenda, Del Mar will saddle up for its 11th fall run beginning this Thursday and going forward to Sunday, December 1. The session is dubbed the “Bing Crosby Season” in honor of the track’s iconic founder.
The 16 racing programs held over five weeks will include a pair of Breeders’ Cup cards this Friday and Saturday that will offer more than $34 million in purses and awards, along with likely championship honors surrounding its 14 major stakes. Five of those major tests will be conducted Friday with nine more – including America’s richest race, the $7-million Breeders’ Cup Classic – slated for Saturday.
The seaside track will present 20 stakes races of its own during the five-week stand, including six run in conjunction with the Breeders’ Cup cards. Those six – four on Friday and two on Saturday – will carry a value of $1.25-million, with Del Mar “regular” 14 black type offering spread throughout the remainer of the meet being worth a total of $2-million.
Highlighting the Del Mar portion of the stakes offerings are a pair of $300,000, Grade I features on closing weekend – the Hollywood Derby for 3-year-olds at nine furlongs on turf (Saturday, Nov. 30) and the Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on the lawn (Sunday, Dec. 1).
The pair of Grade I’s are part of the track’s highly anticipated Turf Festival, eight grass stakes in all during the closing two weeks of the session, which are likely once again to lure some of the best turf runners from across the country.
“Starting our Bing Crosby meet off with two days of Breeders’ Cup excitement just makes a good thing even better,” noted Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens. “Our regular fall cards – enhanced by our special Turf Festival – will present some of the best racing in the country during that time period and, with Breeders’ Cup coming back again in 2025, we’ll hope to keep our racing roll moving right ahead.”
Del Mar will conduct its usual array of special events for its fans throughout the stand, many of them on Saturdays. They include “Uncorked: Derby Days Wine Fest” (Sat., Nov. 9); “College Day” (Sat., Nov. 16); “Beer & Cider Festival” (Sat., Nov. 23); “Family Fun Day” (Fri., Nov. 29). and “Toys for Tots Toy Drive & Ride” (Sun., Nov. 24). The “Toys for Tots”event is hosted in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps as part of its hugely successful kids’ fundraiser.
After opening weekend, all Fridays will offer seniors free admission, a program and a seat, while Sundays are “Free & Fun Sundays,” which provide all Diamond Club members free admission and a 40% discount on special food and beverage offerings. Further, Sundays provide “Taste of the Turf Club” for those wanting to enjoy a unique brunch in the track’s high-end location.
Following opening weekend (where Del Mar will present its regular cards on Thursday and Sunday as a bracket to the Breeders’ Cup programs), the next four weeks will see full slates offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. First post on all racing days will be 12:30 p.m. with eight-race cards on all weekdays and nine-race programs on all weekends.