Emphasis on Turf Stakes During Longer Fall Del Mar Meet

With the latest chapter of the championship event known as the Breeders' Cup on the agenda, Del Mar will host its 11th Bing Crosby Season starting on Thursday, October 31 and running ahead to Sunday, December 1.

This will be Breeders' Cup #41 and be the third held at the seaside oval after sessions in 2017 and 2021. It will be presented on Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2 and, because of it, Del Mar picks up an additional six stakes to go with its own 14. The gross value of the local stakes program is $3,150,000 and includes a pair of Grade I, $300,000 offerings in the Hollywood Derby November 30 and the Matriarch Stakes December 1.

(Editor's note: When Del Mar last hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2021, it scheduled 20 stakes and a pair of overnights worth a combined $3.55 million. California purses are not supplemented by gaming.)

The six special stakes tied to the Breeders' Cup will be run on the two BC cards with four of them on November 1 and the other two on the following afternoon. The quartet on the Friday card are all for 2-year-olds—the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance for juveniles at a mile on the turf; the Golden State Juvenile Fillies for California-breds at seven furlongs; the Ken Maddy Stakes for fillies and mares aged 2 and up at five panels on the green, and the Golden State Juvenile for California-breds at seven eighths.

Then Saturday there will be a pair of Grade III stakes for fillies and mares aged 3 and up in the $200,000 Bayakoa Stakes at a mile on the main track and the $300,000 Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares aged 3 and up at a mile on the turf course.

Of the 20 overall events, 12 of them will be run on the popular Jimmy Durante Turf Course, including eight of them in the closing two weeks of the stand as part of the track's highly favored Turf Festival, which in the past has attracted marquee horses from across the country.

"The combination of our usual fall attractions and the return of the Breeders' Cup this year will make for a very special Bing Crosby Season this time around," said Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens. "We believe we offer the best racing in America during the fall and our additional week this time around just adds more sparkle to a season already filled with luster."

Previously, Del Mar had run four weeks during its Crosby Season, but this year that will stretch out to five. After the opening weekend— which will have Del Mar cards on Thursday (10/31) and Sunday (11/3) around the two Breeders' Cup dates, the track will have four straight weekend with Friday, Saturday and Sunday programs. There will be no racing on Thanksgiving Thursday (11/28) this year. First post for all Del Mar cards will be 12:30 p.m. First posts for the two Breeders' Cup days are 11:35 a.m. for November 1 and 10:05 a.m. for November 2.

Harkening back to its show business founder Crosby, the meet will feature a Hollywood theme for most of its stakes, among them the Betty Grable, the Desi Arnaz, the Cary Grant, the Bob Hope, the Jimmy Durante and the Cecil B. DeMille, all of whom were part of the glamorous early days at shore oval.

Closing weekend will feature stakes triple headers on the lawn on Saturday (11/30) consisting of the $200,000, Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap, the $100,000, Grade III Jimmy Durante Stakes and the rich Hollywood Derby. Then on Sunday (12/1) the trio of grass stakes will be made up of the $100,000 Stormy Liberal Stakes, the $100,000, Grade III Cecil B. DeMille Stakes and then the prestigious Matriarch for fillies and mares.

The complete list of stakes follows:

* Indicates Overnight Stakes