Horses are back and so are fans

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Though few have seen it live, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club performed a minor miracle last year.

The famous coastal stretch says it made a profit during a pandemic.

“A lot of people have gone to great lengths,” said Josh Rubinstein, President and Chief Operating Officer of Del Mar, earlier this week. “We had tremendous support from the coaches and owners. So many people dug themselves in to make it work, and it worked. “

But success didn’t exactly bring total happiness.

“It’s been a lonely year,” said Rubinstein. “I can’t express how much we missed the fans and the thousands of workers who make this place so special. So everyone associated with Del Mar is excited. Welcome back.”

Del Mar today opens its 82nd season with a 10-race card with a full goal by 3-year-olds competing in the 76th edition of the Oceanside Stakes on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

And this time the thoroughbreds run in front of the people.

The estimated 16,000 visitors will make up about half of the regular audience on the opening day at Del Mar. But there are about 16,000 more than a year ago on the site of the opening. And Del Mar officials believe that if restrictions are relaxed, capacity will increase during the meeting.

“We’re excited in many ways,” said Rubinstein. “It’s exciting to see fans returning. This is exciting for jockeys, coaches, owners, all of us. And we think we will have a really good year. “

The purses were increased by 30 percent compared to the previous year. Wallet increases at 21 of the 34 stakes races during the summer meeting, with the main race of the meeting – the Pacific Classic – receiving a jump from $ 250,000 to $ 750,000 (though that’s still going up from $ 1 million for the first 29 runs up Decreased in 2019). .

A reminder of what Del Mar did last year: With no fans in the stands, the track had total revenue of $ 467 million – or an 8.2 percent increase over 2019. Average daily revenue of $ 17.28 million -Dollars for 27 race dates corresponded to a 44 percent gain compared to 2019.

How?

Rubinstein and his employees worked overtime to meet the needs of an audience interested in sports. Del Mar races were shown on TVG. And fans everywhere could bet on a Del Mar race from their home computer or mobile device.

Del Mar added races on most days so it was still running at its prime in the east, long after other tracks were closed for the day. On race days, especially on weekends, the numbers jumped late.

Rubinstein hasn’t lost sight of what worked for Del Mar during the pandemic. The Saturday programs will include 11 races this season. And after today’s start at 2 p.m., the Friday programs will start at 4 p.m. as before.

“We won’t be giving any post-race concerts on Fridays this season,” said Rubinstein. “But much of the summer in San Diego starts at 4pm at the Del Mar. There is brand value, an atmosphere. ”And, um, at 4 p.m. Friday starts here again with prime time in the east.

Of course, there is more competition for audience numbers this year. Baseball is running. And the Olympic Games are broadcast from Japan.

“Success depends on the product,” says Rubinstein. “We want high quality racing. We are proud that we drove an average of 8.4 horses per race last year. “

And for the third year in a row, Del Mar was the sport’s safest main track. On 42 racing days in 2020 (27 in the summer meeting and 15 in the fall), one horse died during a race, two in training and one in a stall accident.

“As a group, we are very proud of what Del Mar achieved in 2020,” said Rubinstein. “The excitement grows when people are back.”

Oceanside stakes

Today’s feature is the first of three Turf Stakes races for 3-year-olds, continuing with the La Jolla Stakes on August 8th and ending with the Del Mar Derby on September 4th.

At the head of the field is the four-time winner None Above the Law, trained by Peter Miller, and the Dream Shake, trained by Peter Eurton.

Miller is the reigning master coach of the summer meeting. Miller took his fourth Del Mar Summer Meeting title last year with 28 wins.

Flavien Prat is the reigning jockey champion. Last year, with 50 wins (one more than Umberto Rispoli), he won the second title in a row, including a Del Mar record of 15 wins.

Track announcer Trevor Denman, who skipped meetings last year so he wouldn’t have to travel during the pandemic, is back today.

Center is a freelance writer.

82nd summer season of Del Mar Mar

When: Today to September 6th, with races from Friday to Sunday on the first two weekends and Thursday to Sunday from July 29th plus Monday, September 6th.

Post time: 2 p.m. every day, except Friday 4 p.m. (after the opening day).

On the air: TVG

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