Del Mar's 78th summer season, which came to a close Monday, showed an increase in handle over 2016 while posting a slight decrease in attendance. Total wagering for the meet came in at $451.5 million, for a daily average of $12,542,000, up 5.1% over the previous summer, while 476,628 patrons came through the gates for a daily average of 13,240, down 1.5% from last year's figures.
The seaside oval posted gains in average field size from 8.3 horses to 8.6 and crucially, with the Breeders' Cup set to be contested there for the first time this fall, Del Mar saw four racing fatalities after 17 deaths marred last summer's meet.
“In many ways, you might call this one of the very best meets we've ever had here,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's president Joe Harper.
Executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins added, “If you remember the circumstances coming into this meet, there was real concern about how we'd be able to perform. Filling a five-day race week with high-end product is a challenge on any circuit these days. But our horsemen rallied, our racing proved to be top quality and safe and we were able to put on a first-rate show for fans around the country.”
Flavien Prat finished the meet strong, booting home seven winners in the final three days to capture the Del Mar riding title with 35 victories. The 25-year-old French native, who tied Rafael Bejarano for last year's crown and also knotted with apprentice Evin Roman for this year's Santa Anita winter/spring meet honors, finished six up on both Bejarano and Roman, who tied for second with 29 winners apiece.
Richard Baltas and Phil D'Amato battled to a draw in the training title race, each collecting one win on closing day to finish with 18 victories apiece. This was the first title of any kind for Baltas, while D'Amato took home the crown last summer.
Brothers Pete and Kosta Hronis's Hronis Racing LLC earned its third Del Mar owner's championship, sending out seven winners and racking up $854,055 in earnings, highlighted by champion Stellar Wind (Curlin), who defended her title in the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. July 30.
Del Mar's fall meet, which contains the Nov. 3-4 Breeders' Cup World Championships, will get underway Wednesday, Nov. 1 and run through Sunday, Nov. 26.
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