With California's equine industry reeling from the July 16 announcement from 1/ST Racing that it would close Golden Gate Fields later this year, the state's racing scene receives a much-needed source of optimism July 21 when Del Mar opens for its 31-day summer meet.
The popular seaside track 20 miles north of San Diego is a destination for horsemen and fans alike, with tickets for its Friday opener already sold out. Equine entries for Friday are also in abundance, with 113 entries and 11 also-eligibles in 10 races—an early continuation of the track's success last year when it averaged 9.14 runners per race, far above industry norms, particularly in California. Horseplayers responded by betting a daily average of $18.7 million.
With the exception of a few promotions—such as an opening-day $1-million guarantee for a single ticket Pick Six winner—few changes from last year are in store at the track "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." As in 2022, Del Mar is again staging 39 major stakes and record-equaling stakes purses of $8.275 million, beginning with the traditional opening-day feature, the restricted $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds. The one-mile grass race is a prep for the $300,000 Del Mar Derby (G2T) at 1 1/8 miles Sept. 3.
