Del Mar Starting Gate © Benoit Photo
BIG FIELDS, BIG NAMES HIGHLIGHT 2024 SUMMER MEET AT DEL MAR
That collective sigh of relief you heard out of the backstretch Thursday was the crew at the Racing Office after they took their final entry of the 2024 summer meet. It has been a terrific eight weeks of racing at Del Mar due in large part to racing secretary David Jerkens and his staff. They have worked non-stop since before opening day back in July.
“It was pretty much what I expected going in,” Jerkens says of the summer meet. “I knew there would be some challenges. I felt this summer we had to rely on our local horsemen. I’ve been surprised in some respects. The stakes races at the beginning of the meet were highlights for me. The Bing Crosby was a great race. The Clement Hirsch was a great race.”
The G1 Bing Crosby pitted California’s Horse of the Year, The Chosen Vron against some talented sprinters and he didn’t disappoint, winning the race for a second year in a row. The G1 Clement Hirsch also had a repeat winner in the top mare Adare Manor.
“We still provided industry-leading field size numbers,” Jerkens notes. “We’re going to end up at 8 ½ runners per race which, if you look at the general landscape of racing, that’s a high number. Our numbers will be higher than the competition this time of year. Overall I think it was a good solid meet.”
Still there are some challenges that must be addressed.
“We set the bar pretty high over the past couple of years,” Jerkens concedes. “We have challenges in California, we can’t ignore that. Our purse levels are not within an arm’s length of the rest of the country. It needs to be addressed. We had more cases of out-of-state trainers who chose other locations that have more lucrative opportunities over us.”
All that being said it’s always a good meet when Mother Nature cooperates and weather is a non-factor like it was this summer at Del Mar.
“The one thing that was consistent all summer it was 72 and sunny,” Jerkens states. “With the ocean breeze you couldn’t have asked for anything more. You can never take it for granted given what transpired back east where every other day they were off the turf.”
The star power was at Del Mar, too. In addition to The Chosen Vron and Adare Manor, there was Senor Buscador, Pretty Mischievous, Sweet Azteca, Anisette and Didia. Not to mention the up-and-coming star 2-year-olds from the Bob Baffert barn.
“I think you have to cover your bases,” Jerkens says. “You have to reach out. You get that Breeders’ Cup bump where people do look at us a little bit more. That definitely helped.
“It’s keeping people in tune to what we’re doing,” Jerkens continues. “Putting the word out. Letting people know what our schedule is. One thing about Del Mar is we’ve remained consistent. The names of the races haven’t changed. You know the Bing Crosby is a ‘Win and You’re In’ prep for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Speaking of the Breeders’ Cup, it’s coming back to Del Mar this November. They have their own staff to do what Jerkens and his staff do for Del Mar. But there still won’t be much time to catch their breath.
“Stall applications are due October 1,” Jerkens states. “So the process starts pretty quick. I’ll begin work on the fall condition book in about a week or so.”
BING CROSBY MEET STAKES SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTED BY BREEDERS’ CUP
The first thing you’ll notice about this fall’s Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar is that it starts a week early and runs five weeks this year instead of the customary four weeks. That’s because the beginning of the meet features the Breeders’ Cup.
Opening Day for the fall meet will be October 31 followed by the Breeders’ Cup on November 1 and 2.
The second thing you’ll notice different about the fall meet is there will be no Thanksgiving Day card this year. Racing will be held Fridays through Sundays after opening week. Many of those cards will be packed with stakes races. Fourteen to be exact, plus another six picked up for the Breeders’ Cup undercards.
The stakes schedule kicks off on Opening Day with the $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes. Of the six Breeders’ Cup undercard races, four will be run on Futures Friday. Two more, the G3 Bayakoa and the G3 Goldikova, will be run on Breeders’ Cup Saturday.
The remaining 13 stakes races will be highlighted by the G1 Hollywood Derby on Saturday, November 30 and the G1 Matriarch the next day, Sunday December 1, closing day of the meet. That will be a busy weekend with three graded stakes on tap on Saturday and another two on Sunday, part of the Fall Turf Festival at Del Mar which also includes the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup on Friday, November 29. In all, six graded stakes races will be run over the course of three days.
Three other graded stakes will be run during the Bing Crosby meet. They are the G3 Bob Hope for 2-year-olds on November 17, the G3 Native Diver on November 23 and the G3 Red Carpet, traditionally the Thanksgiving Day feature, that has been moved to Sunday, November 24.
Over $3.1 million in stakes are on tap for the 16-day Fall Meet. This will be the third time the Breeders’ Cup has been hosted by Del Mar. It was also at the seaside oval in 2017 and 2021.
CLOSING TIME AT DEL MAR; LAST CALL UNTIL THE FALL
Another summer meet at Del Mar will come to an end this evening. In a flash the eight-week meet has passed, leaving indelible memories and unforgettable experiences. As the thousands of horseplayers and race fans go back to their everyday lives, hundreds of backstretch workers begin the task of relocating the barns back to Santa Anita. Everything from the horses to the equipment and tack to all of the personal belongings.
The mass exodus is already underway. Where earlier this week there was a curious racehorse sticking its head out to investigate the surroundings, now, in many cases, there’s an empty stall. The horses that once occupied the now vacant stalls are heading to Los Alamitos for the next race meet, or Santa Anita to wait for that track’s Autumn Meet, or to places unknown.
Most of the heavy lifting will begin tomorrow.
“Monday and Tuesday we’ll be disassembling everything,” trainer Philip D’Amato says. “It’s a couple of days and then we’ll ship it up to Santa Anita.”
D’Amato manages one of the larger strings at Del Mar but even the smaller outfits will work into the night packing up their gear and horses.
While that’s going on, it’s a time of reflection for many trainers as they evaluate this past summer’s achievements and disappointments.
“Could have been a little better but could have been a little worse,” trainer Richard Baltas says about his summer meet at Del Mar. “We have a lot of young horses who are still developing. When you’re running horses in stakes races that are 2-year-olds and they have futures, you don’t have to look at the wins. It’s obviously great to have a lot of wins but you have to look at the big picture. How is the barn developing? Are you getting horses you can develop into being future stakes horses? That’s really what I want.”
“There’s been some ups and downs as this business usually is,” trainer Mark Glatt says. “But overall it’s been solid.”
Glatt goes into the final day in fifth place in the trainers standings with 16 wins and earnings over $1.1 million. His big win of the meet was Dr. Venkman’s victory in the G2 San Diego.
“B-plus,” trainer John Sadler grades his summer meet at Del Mar. “If we could have got Full Serrano home we’d have gotten an ‘A’.”
Full Serrano led every step but the final strides in the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic.
By the end of next week all of the horses will have been relocated and the barn area at Del Mar will resemble a ghost town, at least for a few weeks. Many of those who were here this summer will come back for the Bing Crosby meet, which begins October 31. A chosen few will return for the Breeders’ Cup Championships on November 1 and 2.
COOLING OUT: Trainer Phil D’Amato reports all of his winners came out well from Saturday’s stakes races. Thought Process won the Juvenile Fillies Turf and will be considered for the Breeders’ Cup with a possible prep between now and then. Hang the Moon won the G2 John Mabee and may go next in the G2 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita…The Bob Baffert duo came out of the G1 Debutante in good order according to Baffert’s assistant trainer, Jimmy Barnes. Nooni went into the race a heavy favorite, but the ‘other’ Baffert horse, Tenma, won the race. No word on future plans for the two fillies…D’Amato’s three wins trimmed Baffert’s lead in the trainers standings to two. Baffert has entries in three races today, including three in the G1 Futurity. D’Amato has entries in five races…Jockey Victor Espinoza scored his first victory of the summer meet when he booted home Eye On Ry in Race 7. The win came on the 24th mount of the meet for the Hall of Fame rider…Notable works for Sunday: Dirt – E J Won the Cup (4f, :48.20); Iscreamuscream (4f, :48.60); Moment’s Pleasure (4f, :53.00); Raging Torrent (4f :49.80); Speed Boat Beach (4f, :48.00); National Treasure (5f, 1:00.80); Senor Buscador (5f, 1:01.00); Straight No Chaser (5f, :59.00); Two Rivers Over (5f, 1:01.20); Newgate (6f 1:12.20), and Subsanador (6f, 1:12.60).