Del Mar Diaries: Classic Morning

Del Mar is the ultimate horse racing destination. For fans of the sport, summer, and the sea, there’s nothing like this San Diego track nestled right next to the Pacific Ocean.

Since this was my first morning hanging out where the turf meets the surf (and because jet lag works in early birds’ favor on the West Coast) I was up at about 5 a.m. and on my way to Del Mar by 5:30 to make sure that I got to see as many of the amazing racehorse stabled here as possible. I’m so glad that I did: as the Thoroughbreds took to the oval this morning, it was an embarrassment of riches as I witnessed the incredible amount of talented racehorses spending their summers at Del Mar.
The first famous horse I spied this morning was Dortmund; the giant, chestnut-colored runner was this year’s Santa Anita Derby winner and finished third in the Kentucky Derby, and he’s been taking a break since his disappointing finish in the Preakness Stakes. So it was great to see him taking a gallop around the track this morning, and I’m looking forward to finding out when and where he’ll run next.

I also spotted TVG Pacific Classic Stakes contender Red Vine. This horse is a stunner, and I think he has a good chance to finish in the money (horse racing speak for being one of the top three finishers in a race) in Saturday’s Pacific Classic. He looked comfortable and happy at Del Mar, and he’s a very fit-looking racehorse.

But I was bound and determined to get a glimpse of Beholder, who will take on the boys tomorrow in the Pacific Classic in a bid to become the first female ever to win the race. She’s an amazing racehorse, and before she went to the track from her gallop this morning she took a few laps around Del Mar’s paddock before stopping to enjoy some pats from her trainer Richard Mandella.

She then headed out to the racetrack to get her final gallop before the Pacific Classic; when Beholder began to jog, I actually thought to myself that she looked almost too relaxed as she set off. 

Silly Penelope: when Beholder came back around, she looked incredibly strong and eager in her gallop, and I think she’s going to give the boys some hell tomorrow in the Pacific Classic.

She’s a beast. What a powerful Thoroughbred.
I was delighted to see America’s favorite pony horse Smokey out this morning at Del Mar! The buckskin beauty has been missing in action for a few weeks as he’s been on a farm getting a little R&R after his time in the spotlight as American Pharoah’s constant companion throughout the Triple Crown. Smokey has become somewhat of a celebrity in his own right, and I probably got more excited to see him this morning than I did for most of the racehorses out on the track. What can I tell you? This horse has a lot of charisma!

Of course, the most famous horse at Del Mar (and possibly in the entire world right now) is our Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The colt is spending his summer here at Del Mar, where he gallops at about 7:45 a.m. almost every morning. If you live in or are visiting Southern California, anyone can come out to the track in the morning to witness him get his exercise. It’s an incredible thrill to be able to see him in person, and it’s a privilege to be so close to greatness when he gallops by the stands.
I was lucky enough to be standing in the winner’s circle as American Pharoah jogged past to begin his routine and he’s just such a focused horse. He puts his head well down in the bridle and really uses his body with purpose, even when he’s just warming up.

 
As it turns out, photographers aren’t actually supposed to stand in the winner’s circle during morning works (sorry, Del Mar! It won’t happen again, I promise!), so I beat a hasty retreat up to the box seat area so I could get an elevated view of American Pharoah’s gallop. I skibbled up the steps and got situated as the Pharoah surveyed his domain while horses galloped around him on the Del Mar oval.

After a few moments of observing the activity on the track, American Pharoah turned toward the finish line and began his gallop.

He looked amazing as he passed by the grandstand. American Pharoah is the consummate professional on the racetrack: he’s completely focused on his gallop, and nothing rattles him as he takes his morning exercise.

He’s such a commanding presence that everyone stops to look at him, even the folks galloping other horses. Now that’s star power!

Since I am a total Pharoah fan, I decided to follow him back to his barn and take some more photos. I wasn’t the only one: quite a crowd had assembled to admire our 12th Triple Crown winner.

In fact, on the left-hand side of the photo above, you can see the Zayat family, the owners of American Pharoah. They were in town to admire their colt and see some of their other runners, and the whole family was welcoming to the fans clustered around their superstar Thoroughbred. Trainer Bob Baffert was with them, and a few seconds later he photobombed the Pharoah. It’s almost too much awesome in one frame. 

American Pharoah’s not just a rockstar racehorse: he’s clearly also a barn favorite because of his sweet attitude. Dana Barns, an extremely talented rider who gallops a ton of top horses for the Baffert stable, was unable to resist when the Pharoah mooched some carrots off of her:

And the woman hotwalking the champ (unfortunately, I didn’t catch her name) kept laughing when American Pharoah insisted on stopping every few minutes to strike a pose for the assembled pony paparazzi.

I hung around for a little while longer to get a few more photos and share the scene on Periscope (if you’re on Twitter, you can find all of our live broadcasts on the America’s Best Racing account @ABRLive before heading back to the Del Mar press box to begin my day of work. 

Thank you so much for joining me, and I’ll be back throughout the weekend with all of the Pacific Classic action as well as American Pharoah’s workout here at Del Mar on Sunday morning.