Del Mar opens its doors for its 36-day summer meet Wednesday with large fields highlighting the opening day card. While the first three races on the card are claiming events with nine horses signed on for each, the back end of the day features ample quality–including an overflow field of 16 entered for the grassy Oceanside S. for 3-year-olds, which goes as race eight. While in years past the Oceanside would often be split into two smaller divisions due to the over-subscription, the track has opted to run the popular race in one larger division in recent seasons.
In total, Del Mar will run 41 stakes races during the meet, which runs until Labor Day Sept. 3, highlighted by the $1-million GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 18. An emphasis on turf racing is evident from the outset, with four grass races–including the Oceanside–carded on opening day.
Competitive Bunch in Oceanside
The morning line odds board tells the story in Wednesday's Oceanside, with Desert Stone (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) established as the slight 4-1 favorite. The colt carries a two-race winning streak into the opening day feature. Due to the race's restriction for sophomores who have not won a $50,000 stakes purse at a distance over a mile in 2018, a number of the top contenders must answer questions about the two-turn trip. Holly and David Wilson's Calexman (Midshipman) was a course-and-distance winner last November, but recently has enjoyed success sprinting down the hill at Santa Anita. Rail-drawn Arawak (Uncle Mo) shortens up in distance off an even third-place finish in Santa Anita's nine-furlong Rainbow S. and could be dangerous if able to replicate his close fourth-place finish in the GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs May 5.
The race also features an appearance by Faversham (Lucky Pulpit), a California-bred full-brother to 2014 and 2016 Horse of the Year California Chrome.
Accelerate's Turn to Take the Spotlight?
While North America's all-time richest Thoroughbred Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) was undoubtedly the talk of the town heading into the 2017 summer meet, Hronis Racing's Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky)–the horse who defeated him twice in last year's GII San Diego H.–has inherited the throne as the headliner of the 2018 meet. Accelerate has seemingly taken his game to a new level this year, capturing the GI Santa Anita H. and the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and is expected to follow a similar path to 2017, with a start in this Saturday's San Diego as a springboard to a tilt in the Pacific Classic.
Don Alberto Stable's Unique Bella (Tapit) will get her share of the spotlight as well with an expected appearance in the July 29 GI Clement Hirsch S. The ultra-talented 'TDN Rising Star' was last seen notching a decisive victory in the GI Beholder Mile S. at Santa Anita June 2.
Bonuses for Horsemen and Bettors Alike
If the robust opening day entry box was any indicator, the Del Mar team's efforts to bolster the quality and quantity of the racing product are off to a successful start. Most notably, the track's “Ship and Win” program seeks to incentivize participation from out-of-town barns that send horses to Southern California for the summer months.
“We've enhanced our Ship And Win program so that it's now $2,000 for the initial start,” said Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens. “Last year it was $1,500, two years ago $1,000. Plus a 30% purse bonus. We aggressively put the word out everywhere that we could. The [2017] Breeders' Cup exposure helped with a lot of people seeing Del Mar for the first time. Ian Wilkes, I think especially attributes that partly to his being here.”
Bettors focusing on the Del Mar meet will also feature a new late Pick 5 wager on the day's final five races that offers a “bonus” payout to any gambler holding the lone winning ticket on the bet. With a bonus of $1 million on weekends and $500,000 on weekdays, the move puts Del Mar in line with a number of other tracks who have moved to offer “jackpot” payouts in recent years. Del Mar will also feature a new early Pick 4 that begins on race two every day.
Mutuel Tellers' Strike Averted
According to a Tuesday release from Del Mar officials, the track has reached an agreement in principle with the Pari-Mutuel Employees Guild of California, Union Local 280, for a new collective bargaining agreement that will extend through the 2019 summer season at Del Mar. The two sides had reached an impasse over staffing levels. Wagering locations on Wednesday's opening day program will be staffed at maximum levels.
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