Del Mar President Joe Harper, center, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, left, and jockey Aaron Gryder, right, welcome fashion contest participants to opening day of the inaugural Bing Crosby Season at the seaside oval in Del Mar.
Racing returned to Del Mar Friday for the first fall racing season in almost 50 years and the new “Bing Crosby Season” got off to a sparkling start.
An old-school Hollywood vibe was in order and San Diegans rallied to the cause. The opening day crowd of 11,513 was replete with folks dressed to their Hollywood nines and Bing – the track’s founder – would have felt right at home among the faithful, which included more than 100 hopefuls who entered the track’s Vintage Hollywood Fashion Contest. Celebrity look-alikes abounded and an old Hollywood fan surely would have been in heaven.
Del Mar’s 15-day fall season replaced dates previously run at the now-shuttered Hollywood Park
Del Mar’s handle figures were solid, especially when compared with the numbers registered last November at the Los Angeles track.
Total handle rang in at $8,560,127, an increase of 46.8% when lined up against Hollywood’s opening day money total.
On-track handle was markedly better at $1,310,679, up 129% over Hollywood. The on-track numbers were reflective of the crowd difference between the two locations. Del Mar’s 11,513 this year towered over Hollywood’s 2,772 in 2013.
Inter Track Wagering came in at $2,772,830, which was a boost of 25.4% over Hollywood. And Out-Of-State wagering numbers were $4,476,619, an increase of 46.9% vs. Hollywood.
The previous meet run at Del Mar in the fall – in fact the only other such attempt at late-season racing – was in 1967. By way of comparison, attendance that day was 3,909 and total mutuel handle was $389,571.
Del Mar’s Turf Club was completely sold out for the opener and its trackside dining table were 95% filled. Weather on the day was sunny and mild with temperatures in the mid-70s.
Del Mar’s Turf Club was completely sold out for the opener and its trackside dining table were 95% filled. Weather on the day was sunny and mild with temperatures in the mid-70s.Tatiana Selpova of San Diego was the big winner of the Vintage Hollywood Fashion Contest. She was named winner of the Most Glamourous category, as well as Bing Crosby Grand Prize Winner.
11/7/14 ###