So. California Racing Turns to Del Mar for Fall Meet

What started in 2014 continues when Del Mar's ninth fall meet—the "Bing Crosby Season" in honor of the track's iconic founder—begins Nov. 11 and goes through Dec. 4.

Racing will be conducted over 13 days, primarily on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday basis each week, with a first post daily of 12:30 p.m. PT. The lone exception is Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, when racing will start at 11 a.m. PT and finish around 3 p.m.

Del Mar is coming off the heels of its most successful meeting ever, a 31-day summer stand that established a record daily average handle of $18.6 million and an average field size number of 9.1 horses per race, offering some of the deepest racing in the nation.

The opening weekend will feature a trio of stakes, starting Friday with the $75,000 Let It Ride Overnight Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on the turf. That race drew a field of nine, led by Handy Dandy , Script , and Spycatcher .

The Let It Ride is one of four turf races on the eight-race Friday program. Sixty-six horses and one also-eligible are entered on the card

The track will offer its usual betting options, starting with win, place, and show wagers and going on to Pick 3s, Pick 4s, Pick 5s, and the Rainbow Pick Six. The latter bet has a 20-cent minimum base and can lead to five-, six- or even seven-figure payouts. It requires a bettor to be the lone ticket holder in order to capture the entire pool, but it will have one "mandatory payout" day on closing day, when the entire jackpot will be distributed to those with the most winners.

The fall session's full stakes schedule—13 major stakes and two overnight over the 13 days—is the most lucrative ever, at a total of $2.45 million. The slate is highlighted by a pair of $400,000, top-level headliners on closing weekend—the Hollywood Derby (G1T) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf and the Matriarch Stakes (G1T) for older fillies and mares at a mile on the lawn.

The final two weeks of the stand feature eight graded stakes on grass worth more than $1.4 million, a "turf meet' inside the regular meet that has proven to be a substantial lure to good turf runners from across the country.

Del Mar will offer a variety of special events. There will be a Veterans Day salute on opening day; an "Uncorked: Derby Days Wine Festival" Nov. 12; a unique "Brunch & Brews" happening Nov. 19; College Day (with free admission for college students), also Nov. 19; and a Taste of the Turf Club program each Sunday. Seniors receive free admission, a program, and a seat each Friday throughout the fall.

After opening week, when Del Mar's backup announcer John Lies will be at the mic, Triple Crown/Breeders' Cup announcer Larry Collmus will be in the stand once again for the balance of the session.