David Jerkens

Del Mar's 'Ship and Win' program will return for its 16th year when racing returns to the seaside oval July 17 and will help boost purses for 2-year-old maiden special weight races to record levels. The 'Ship and Win' program provides $5,000 for any qualified dirt runner in their first local outing. The 50% purse bonus is applied to the first through fifth finishers in their initial start and all subsequent outings at the meet. For turf runners, there is a $4,000 payment for that first start, as well as...

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will offer significant enhancements to its 2-year-old racing program, reinforcing the track's long-standing commitment to developing juvenile runners while expanding opportunities for owners, trainers and breeders, the track announced Wednesday. Beginning with the 2026 Summer season, which opens July 17, Del Mar will offer $100,000 open maiden races for 2-year-olds on the main track. These enhanced purses, for both colts and fillies, underscore the early success of California's new single-circuit structure and reaffirm the importance of juvenile racing to the seaside oval. In addition, Del...

   'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) is among late nominees for Del Mar's GI Pacific Classic Aug. 30. The 4-year-old is owned St. Elias Stables and Repole Stable, the latter also campaigns GI Stephen Foster winner Mindframe (Constitution). With the goal of keeping the two Repole runners separate until the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in November, Mindframe is slated to contest the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Aug. 31. The Pacific Classic is also a 'Win & You're In' race for the Breeders'...

Guests Andrew Offerman of NYRA, Cathy Shircliff of Churchill Downs, Del Mar's David Jerkens and 1/ST Racing's Jodie Vella-Gregory, joined the latest installment of the OwnerView webinar series Apr. 8 to discuss how they ensure owners take center stage in their operations, according to a Friday press release from The Jockey Club of America who serves as one of the hosts. The panel discussed a myriad of topics related to how to improve an owner's experience at the racetrack, and the group addressed the all-important issue of how to attract...

A pair of Del Mar programs, "Ship & Win" and the maiden dirt bonus, again will enhance the summer meet purses when racing resumes for the seaside track's season starting Friday, July 18. The unique "Ship & Win" plan, presented for the 15th consecutive year, serves as a strong incentive for horses from out of state to race locally and intensify the track's reputation as one of the country's top facilities for field size. Nearly 3,000 horses have used the program since its beginnings in 2011 with the vast majority...

The $1-million GI Pacific Classic will highlight the $7.825-million stakes schedule for the upcoming Del Mar summer meet. The track's signature race will be held on an Aug. 30 card which includes more than $2 million in purses and a pair of Grade II races--the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap and the $300,000 Del Mar Mile. In addition to the Pacific Classic, the track will host five other Grade I races during the meet, which runs from July 18 through Sept. 7. Leading off the top-level races is the $400,000 GI...

Del Mar will offer across-the-board purse increases when the oceanside oval opens for its 2025 season July 18. During its eight-week summer meet, Del Mar will present approximately 300 races with overnight purses projected to be $15.7 million--a blended increase of 8% over 2024 purses. The track will offer 38 stakes races valued at $7,825,000. With the overnight purse increases, the majority of the track's owners and trainers will be able to run in maiden special weight dirt races--both open and Cal-Bred--for purses of $100,000 as the track will again...

Del Mar's Bing Crosby Season, which opens Oct. 31 and will run an extra week through Dec. 1 this year, will play host to the Breeders' Cup championship Nov. 1 and 2. In addition to the championship races, Del Mar will offer 20 stakes worth $3,150,000 during the meet. The schedule is highlighted by a pair of Grade I events: the $300,000 GI Hollywood Derby is scheduled for Nov. 30 and the $300,000 GI Matriarch Stakes will be run Dec. 1. Six stakes races tied to the Breeders' Cup have...

The Ship & Win Bonus and Maiden Dirt Bonus will return this summer for Del Mar's 85th season of racing. Entering its 14th consecutive season at Del Mar, the Ship & Win program provides an incentive for horses from out of state to race at the seaside oval by providing a guaranteed $4,000 check for any qualified runner in their first start at Del Mar. There is also a 40% bonus applied to purse winnings for that initial start, as well as any subsequent outings during the eight-week meet. As...

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has scheduled a 31-day/39 stakes program topped by its premier offering--the 34th running of the $1-million GI FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic slated for Saturday, Aug. 31. Del Mar is also projecting a total purse distribution of more than $26.6 million over the course of the eight-week season. The shore oval's 85th summer session staged alongside the blue Pacific opens Saturday, July 20 and races ahead to Sunday, Sept. 8. The Pacific Classic will be the highlight of a rich afternoon that will feature five graded stakes,...

In its 13th consecutive season, Del Mar's 'Ship & Win' program, which attracts out-of-state runners with bonuses and purse incentives, returns opening day July 21. "This program has proven to be an absolute home run for Del Mar and all of California racing," said David Jerkens, a Del Mar vice president and its racing secretary. "Our fields grow stronger each summer with 'Ship & Win' horses and then the lion's share of those runners stay on and race at other venues in the state." Drawing more than 2,400 equine competitors...

The $1,000,000 GI FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic tops 39 stakes over 31 days, a record-tying stakes schedule worth $8,275,000 for Del Mar's 84th season, beginning Friday, July 21. The Pacific Classic Day card, set for Sept. 2, will feature five graded stakes, including the GII Del Mar H. and GII Del Mar Mile. Del Mar has slated six Grade I races over the course of an eight-week summer stand, as well as six Breeders' Cup "Win & You're In" tests that each guarantee a spot in the starting gate for...