Del Mar’s new “Bing Crosby Season,” which opens for a 15-day run this Friday, offers Thoroughbred fans features and special events on just about every day of racing throughout the month at the scenic seaside racing headquarters just north of San Diego.
The fun starts with the Vintage Hollywood Fashion Contest on Opening Day, continues with food, drink, music and giveaway specials on the weekends and also includes various forms of “free” days on Thursdays and Fridays.
All these extras come in addition to the first-class racing that Del Mar is known for and will be on display throughout the session, including $2.25-million in stakes purses. Cards of eight races will be run on most Thursdays and Fridays starting at 12:30 p.m., while nine-race programs will be in vogue for Saturdays and Sundays with a first post of 12 noon.
Opening Day will be Hollywood retro as the track tips its cap to the era of its iconic founder, Bing Crosby. Vintage dresses, suits, hats, music and cars all will be on display and fans are encouraged to step back in time to when the movies were in black and white, but color and colorful people gave bloom to the Tinsltown legend.
Music, of course, has been one of Del Mar’s calling cards with its race meets for over a decade and a pair of musical events will highlight the second and fourth Saturdays of the meet.
Saturday, November 15 will be headlined by a reggae festival topped by the popular band Iration. The group will be the foremost of several acts performing throughout the afternoon as part of a special “College Day Tailgate Party” (all college students are free that afternoon) that will be ongoing with many extras in the Seaside Stage area at the track’s western end. On Saturday, November 29 there will be a full-scale Craft Beer & Cider Festival with dozens of offerings over the course of the afternoon, also in the Seaside Concert area. Following the races the alt rock band Cake, a notable Del Mar favorite, will put on a full show.
Food truck fans – and there are many these days – will have a wide selection Saturday, November 22 when the track presents the “Fall Food Truck Fesitval.” More than 30 trucks from San Diego and the Orange County area will set up shop for the day with a wide-range of tasty selections to choose from. Additionally, all fans will receive a large, warm and classy Bing Crosby Season blanket that afternoon, a keeper done up in the track’s black and gold diamond fall color scheme.
All Sundays at the track will be “Football Sundays,” with pro football games readily available on multiple high definition televisions at the track’s two pubs located on the paddock -- the 17 Hands Pub and the Paddock Tavern – as well as at the Jockey Box on the second floor of the eastern end of the Stretch Run
“Free & Easy Fridays” will be featured throughout the stand with the exception of Opening Day. Fans with a Diamond Club card on those afternoons receive free admission, a free program and a free seat, as well as half-price beers, soft drinks and hot dogs. Diamond Club sign-ups are fee for newcomers and take just a few minutes. The cards also provide a 50% discount on admissions for all days at the meeting.
Thursdays will be free admission days for all seniors (aged 62 and up) and that includes the special race card on November 27, which is Thanksgiving Day. First post that morning will be 11 a.m. and the eight-race program should be concluded by approximately 2:45, allowing plenty of time for folks to head out for their turkey dinners.
Still another special during the season will be the Saturday morning “Daybreak at Del Mar” breakfasts held in the track’s Clubhouse Terrace Restaurant. These sessions go from 8 to 10 a.m. and allow fans to dine on delicious breakfast fare while taking in the Thoroughbreds going through their morning workouts.
Admission to the track through all gates for the Bing Crosby Season will be $6 (or just $3 with a Diamond Club card). The usual separation between the Clubhouse and Stretch Run areas will be waived throughout the meet. For a full calendar of Del Mar events visit https://www.dmtc.com/calendar or print out the promotional calendar.
11/3/14 ###