Kat’s Eye: Dialing in on Daily Routine at Del Mar

The backside of every racetrack is different, with a personality as unique as its grandstand and clubhouse. While the stables at Del Mar are the first that I ever visited, back in late July, I’ve spent the least amount of time there, compared with Los Alamitos, Santa Anita Park, and even Parx Racing in Pennsylvania.
The inaugural season of Del Mar’s fall meet opened last Friday, and I was finally able to get out for morning training today. Early morning rain had cleared by the time I arrived at the track, and the clouds were still heavy in the sky, keeping things cool.
I walked to the backside from the paddock, where horses were schooling and workers were readying the park for the afternoon races, even at 6:30 a.m. 
I backtracked on the path that would be taken by race entries later in the day, past the fully enclosed stables that serve as livestock exhibit barns during the San Diego County Fair, past the receiving barn, and across the gap that separates the fair grounds and show barn from the stables.

It’s eerily quiet compared with my visit during the summer meet, with just a handful of trainers, jockey agents, exercise riders and outriders scattered around the track. 

I got a smile, a nod, and a friendly “good morning” from everyone that I encountered as I made my way through rows of unoccupied stalls in search of familiar faces.

I didn’t know that Sherman Racing, my friends who are primarily stabled at Los Alamitos, had been relocated from the barn that had housed its horses during the summer meet, but they were easy enough to find, once I saw a TV camera passing through the shedrow. 
Earlier in the week it had been reported that trainer Art Sherman would enter Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, in the Hollywood Derby - a turf race to be contested on Nov. 29 at Del Mar - and he’s once again the focus of local and national news.
I breezed by Art as he chatted with reporters, just in time to find Oscar, the groom for Sherman Racing at Del Mar, and exercise rider Anna Wells finishing up a bath and cool down for Shopping Savannah, a 3-year-old, dark bay filly who will be on the turf in Race 7 Friday afternoon. She’s a beauty who I have seen run before, and she was full of energy, tossing her head around and dancing in her stall, clearly prepared for the race later in the day.
Anna and Oscar then turned to Matzoh Ball Magic, a 3-year-old, bay gelding scheduled to race at a mile on the synthetic Polytrack surface in the sixth race Friday. He was saddled and ready for a morning jog, and Anna was quickly aboard with the help of Oscar and walking Matzoh out to the track.  

I strolled out with Art to watch them train, chatting about the renewed attention on Chrome and the speculation that has been flying around about the balloting for Horse of the Year.  While others may be talking about it, Art quickly moved past that to the work at hand, and we watched Anna guide Matzoh smoothly through his training and back to the barn.
There she and Oscar took turns walking him to cool him down, then administered his bath, the only part of which he seemed to like was having his face is washed. 

With a blanket on the horse and more walking to cool him down, I fell in stride with Anna as she circled in front of the stables and shared with me that the man who had taught her to gallop races horse was hot walking in the adjacent barn, and she had said hello to him that morning.
As Anna explained, horse racing, especially on the West Coast, is a small world. She has been doing this work - galloping horses for trainers - for about three years. It’s demanding work that involves not just horsemanship and strength but also all of the other chores that go on before and after horses are tacked and untacked. 
Once Matzoh is back in his stall, Anna turned to me and said, “OK, now I’m going to work.  I’m going to rake the heck out of this yard!” 
With a smile and a laugh, she grabbed a rake and started doing just that. 

Every task on the backside has a purpose, and it’s almost always to ensure the safety and comfort of the horses.  Raking the walkways is one of those tasks, as it helps to keep the ground the horses trod on soft under their feet, rather than developing furrows and packed earth that can lead to soreness or injury. As Anna raked, Oscar cleaned tack and stall guards while Savannah nosed him playfully.

Anna and I chatted about how she got involved in this work.
While she grew up around horses and riding, in various disciplines including rodeo, it was at the age of seven that she was at the races in her native Portland, Ore., with her mother, when she declared that this was something she wanted to try. There was a bad wreck on the track that day, with the jockey coming off his mount, causing Anna’s mother to pause and ask if she was sure.  Yep, she said, she was.
Years later, attracted by the speed of Thoroughbreds, she stepped into the short stirrups and learned the ins and outs of being an exercise rider from the veteran rider she reconnected with that morning. Now, her daily routine includes climbing aboard several horses for trips around the oval, which is still a thrill. 
Each horse has a temperament and spirit that makes him or her unique. Connecting with them and reading what kind of day they are having is a big part of her job. It’s clear that an underlying affection for horses and respect for their power is at the core of what drives her.
We agreed to connect later at the races, and headed off in opposite directions, each of us returning home for a shower and breakfast. 
Next week, I hope to talk with the man who taught her to ride, but for now I’ll enjoy the cooler weather of the fall and look forward to watching Savannah and Matzoh show what they’ve got this afternoon.