Del Mar Plans for Earlier Start to Summer Meet

Del Mar announced May 28 its intention to begin its 2020 summer race meet July 10 and employ a three-day-a-week race schedule pending the approval of the California Horse Racing Board at its June 11 meeting.

Following guidelines issued by San Diego County public health officials, California state officials, and in consultation with other public health experts, the track’s traditional summer meeting is preparing to operate without spectators but will continue to work with state and local officials to adopt any changes as they happen. Del Mar will follow similar COVID-19 protocols that have enabled racing to be conducted safely in California and throughout the country.

Originally scheduled to open its 81st summer season July 18, Del Mar is planning an earlier start with racing on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday basis throughout the summer, closing with a four-day week on Labor Day, Sept. 7. The seaside track had hoped to operate five days a week this year for a meet that would have been one week shorter in duration.

“We’re coming back and we’re going to put on the most unique show in Del Mar history,” Del Mar CEO Joe Harper said in a news release. “It’s going to look different, it’s going to feel different, but it’s going to be first-class horse racing at Del Mar, and in these unusual times that’s something to look forward to.”

The track will offer 10-race cards on Fridays and Sundays and 11-race cards on Saturdays. Opening Day will be an exception with an 11-race program, and Labor Day will offer 10 races.

The schedule calls for 291 races over nine weeks. The track carded 297 races over its eight-week 2019 summer meeting.

“We want to begin the meet earlier and offer horsemen the same number of opportunities to run as we have for the last several summer seasons,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president of racing. “We’ve had inquiries from new trainers from across the country who are interested in sending horses to Del Mar, which is encouraging. And because the San Diego Fair was canceled this year, our track maintenance team will be preparing our racing surfaces earlier and we’ll be able to have horses on-site sooner than in the past. It will be a little different, but we’re confident we can present the same high-caliber racing that fans, owners, and trainers have come to expect.”

The COVID-19-related cancellation of this summer's San Diego County Fair, usually conducted on the grounds of Del Mar, was set to take place June 5 through July 5, with track officials needing about a week's time following its conclusion to ready the Del Mar facility and racetrack for horses to ship onto the grounds.

Racing at Santa Anita Park is scheduled to conclude June 21. Los Alamitos Race Course will offer Thoroughbred racing from June 26 through July 5. Both tracks have been operating live racing without fans and with only essential personnel under strict protocols in response to COVID-19.

“Over the past several weeks, Del Mar has joined with other racing industry leaders to develop extensive operating procedures to permit horse racing in a way that ensures the safety of all employees, stakeholders, and our horses,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar's president and COO. “A number of medical experts throughout the country have provided guidance and helped us develop a comprehensive plan. DMTC’s planning has benefited from additional direction and aid from local experts such as Scripps Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ghazala Sharieff, and her colleagues.”

Rubinstein praised local health and elected officials.

“San Diego County’s Health & Human Services Agency and its elected officials, working in concert with state officials, have done an incredible job ensuring San Diego stays safe during this difficult time,” he said. “We are grateful for their leadership, guidance, and positive feedback as we implement our safety guidelines that follow the stringent protocols that have been successful at California’s other Thoroughbred racing facilities.”

Even without spectators, Del Mar’s racing season is important to the continued economic viability of California’s horse racing industry, the track emphasized in its release. The regular care and training of racehorses in the state support thousands of jobs, housing, and health care services for workers, as well as hundreds of local small businesses and farms.

Wagering on Del Mar’s races will continue remotely via advance-deposit wagering platforms and from select simulcast facilities across the country that are in operation amid COVID-19.

According to the track, 90% of wagering on Del Mar’s races took place off-track in 2019. During the COVID-19 crisis, internet wagering has surged.

Del Mar will present its traditional stakes schedule with some minor modifications, the track said in its release. The Del Mar website lists the TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1), its signature race, as scheduled for Aug. 22.

The full stakes schedule will be released May 29.

The track’s broadcast partner, TVG, will provide television coverage of Del Mar races throughout the summer.

NBC Sports is currently broadcasting TVG on its secondary NBCSN channel. The track announced that discussions to include Del Mar in these broadcasts are ongoing. 

First post daily throughout the summer will be at 2 p.m. PT.