Daily Handle, Attendance Strong at Del Mar
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The first "Bing Crosby Season" at Del Mar ended successfully Nov. 30 as the four-week meeting saw strong handle and attendance marks established for Southern California's newest season of Thoroughbred racing.
Daily average total handle was $10,410,497 per day, a 15% increase over last year's final Hollywood Park corresponding dates.
Daily average attendance numbers registered at 9,055 per afternoon, a 187% increase over Hollywood's 2013 numbers. It was the second-highest attended meet in California this year, behind Del Mar's 36-day summer session.
Daily average purses rose an estimated 15% to approximately $523,000 during the 15-day stand when compared to the Hollywood numbers.
"When we were approached about picking up these fall dates, we said we thought we could do a pretty good job with it," said Joe Harper, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club president and CEO. "Well, we did that, and a whole lot more. We're just tickled how well this meet went—for Del Mar, for our horsemen, and for racing in general. We need all the positives we can muster in our business and I think Del Mar in the fall is a huge plus."
Harper ticked off a list of upbeat elements that made the new season a winner in virtually all aspects:
• Spectacular fall weather that averaged 70 degrees.
• Average field size of 8.35 horses per race, including turf fields that averaged 9.11 runners per race for 47 races (36% of all races presented) on the track's expanded new course. Additionally, the track lured 35 new horses to the meet through its ongoing "Ship and Win" program.
• Prominent national horsemen such as Graham Motion, Christophe Clement, and Mark Casse shipping horses in or setting up permanent camp, notably for the track's lucrative stakes program.
• Safe and consistent racing on the track's two racing strips, with no catastrophic losses or any major injuries over the course of the entire meet.
• A local fan awareness to the new meet that was enhanced as the session moved along. For the track's final three big race Saturdays, the crowds averaged 19,892, culminating with a meet-high 21,889 Nov. 29 when superstar 3-year-old California Chrome won the track's Hollywood Derby (gr. IT).
"Del Mar has proven to be a wonderful host for the lion's share of the old Hollywood Park fall dates," said Mike Pegram, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. "We had terrific racing, a first-class purse structure, enthusiastic crowds, and a very positive response by all our horsemen to a winning environment. We are already looking forward to coming back next year."
Jim Cassidy, the president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, voiced similar praise for racing at the shore in November.
"We applaud Del Mar for its successful commitment to a first-class racing season based on teamwork with horsemen," he said. "We also salute them for investing in advertising and promotion, showing that if a track properly informs the public and stimulates interest, attendance and handle grow accordingly."
Del Mar went back to its roots with its "Bing Crosby Season" presentation. The iconic Crosby was the track's founder back in 1937 and its marketing team called on his "old Hollywood" era to showcase itself to a racing-friendly audience and to separate itself from its summer party atmosphere.
On the racetrack, Peter Miller, who was the shore track's training champ in 2012, then tied for honors this past summer with Jerry Hollendorfer, won the first fall training title with 15 winners. Riding honors went to Victor Espinoza by a nose over Elvis Trujillo. Espinoza, who was Del Mar's riding king in 2000, 2005, and 2006, beat Trujillo 12-11.
The track will spend several months this winter converting its main track back to a dirt surface after having raced on the synthetic Polytrack since 2007. It has purchased more than 25,000 tons of "El Segundo sand," the same dirt currently in use at Santa Anita Park, for installation on its track in time for its summer season. It will be the first time that the main racetracks in Southern California have the same racing surface.
Del Mar's fall meet for next year will stretch out to five weeks between Oct. 29 and Nov. 29.