One of Del Mar’s mottos is “cool as ever,†a saying that doesn’t apply to the claiming department for this summer season. The track where the “turf meets the surf,†to borrow another Del Mar phrase, became the track where the claim game is hotter than ever. For the first […]
Tag: Del Mar
Del Mar’s Jackpot Pick 6 Runs North of $1.1 Million
The star of Del Mar’s Thursday card isn’t any of the Thoroughbreds on the track. It’s the Jackpot Pick 6, which ventured north of $1 million after bettors failed to crack the single-ticket code for 12 consecutive days. Thursday’s Single Ticket Jackpot Pick 6 sits at $1,127,460. It sits there […]
C Z Rocket Takes Off In Search of Elusive Grade 1 in Bing Crosby Stakes
Considering how many times he’s figured in various race mixes, it defies logic that C Z Rocket comes into Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes lacking a Grade 1 victory. And yet, here he is, one of the West Coast’s top sprinters and owner of 11 victories and nearly $1.4 […]
Going Global Does Just That, Brings Four-Race Win Streak to Del Mar
Going Global began her racing career finishing fourth, 12th, and 13th in a trio of summer races in her native Ireland. There was nothing distinguishing her from the countless other 2-year-old fillies dotting Irish racetracks. This changed last November when Going Global broke her maiden in an Irish Handicap race […]
Del Mar Opens to Sellout Crowd and a Dream Shake Turf Sighting
Last year’s Del Mar summer season opener carried such a weird vibe that Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper spent much of it walking around in a surreal, dreamy haze. This year, Harper and the rest of Del Mar’s sold-out, opening-day crowd – and yes, we said “crowd†– […]
This $1 Million Bonanza is Easy: Just Win Haskell, Travers and BC Classic
Monmouth Park and BetMakers Technology Group announced a $1 million bounty – the BetMakers Bonanza — to any 3-year-old who wins the Haskell Stakes, the Travers Stakes, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Just win three of the most prestigious events in American racing. Simple, right? Actually, one horse collected the […]
Del Mar Adds Rainbow Jackpot Pick 6 to Upcoming Wagering Menu
Joining the trend set by other tracks around the country, Del Mar announced it will add a 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot bet to its arsenal of wagers for its upcoming summer meet. The seaside track north of San Diego replaced its regular $2 Pick 6 with the 20-cent jackpot version, […]
Saratoga, Breeders’ Cup Opening Gates to 100% of Capacity
Officials from both Saratoga Race Course and the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar announced Wednesday that their facilities will open to 100% capacity this year. The NYRA also announced the full reopening of Belmont Park, beginning June 24. The NYRA’s announcements came on the heels of New York Gov. Andrew […]
Big ‘Cap Winner Idol Sidelined, Won’t Chase Wild West Bonus
The $1 million Wild West Bonus will go unclaimed with the announcement that Santa Anita Handicap winner Idol will miss the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup with an undisclosed issue. Trainer Richard Baltus told Santa Anita Park’s Ed Golden that the issue doesn’t appear to be career-ending and that the […]
Del Mar Officials Plan for Fans at 2021 Summer Meet
Del Mar officials announced Tuesday they will allow a limited number of fans into the seaside track when its summer meet opens in mid-July. Track officials didn’t specify an allotted number of tickets it plans to sell when its 82nd summer meet opens on Friday, July 16. Nor did it […]
Del Mar Continues Purse-Boosting Binge, Announces Stakes Slate
With the Breeders’ Cup providing the year’s finishing touch for the first time since 2017, Del Mar announced a 2021 summer stakes schedule featuring a 30% purse increase over 2020. Some of the purse boost comes from two stakes returning from a 2020 hiatus – the Grade 3 Cougar II […]
Breeders’ Cup Bans Lasix for ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge Races
Following in the footsteps of the Triple Crown races, Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials announced Wednesday their Challenge Series races will run Lasix free. The Challenge Series races are the “Win and You’re In†races spread out over the world. Those events give all-expense-paid spots in the various Breeders’ Cup […]
Santa Anita, Del Mar Form Posse for $1 Million Wild West Bonus
Seeking to keep their top Western horses home – while luring Eastern horses west – Santa Anita Park and Del Mar created the $1 Million Wild West Bonus. That bonus goes to the connections of any horse who sweeps the three Southern California elite races for older horses, the Santa […]
Writing Santa Anita’s Morning Line Requires More than Chalk for White
By this point in his lengthy career in horse racing, which covers everything from steward to TV personality, Jon White’s skin is as tough as leather. He understands that most of you don’t understand what goes into making a racing morning line. But the saying, “Everyone’s a critic†means, well, […]
California Bans Lasix for Virtually all Stakes Races
Starting with the upcoming Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields winter/spring meets, California became the latest state to ban the use of Lasix in the majority of stakes races. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) unanimously approved the terms of an agreement between the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) […]
Which Starlet Will Reign Supreme Among These Precocious Fillies?
Bob Baffert rarely tastes defeat in the Starlet Stakes, which makes him the perfect trainer to put the crown back on Princess Noor’s head in Saturday’s Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos. To do that, Princess Noor will not only have to beat two of her Baffert stablemates in the […]
Life Is Good’s Next Stop: The Derby Trail’s Sham Stakes
The same day that 2-year-old sensation Life Is Good became the favorite in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, trainer Bob Baffert said he’s likely to run next in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Baffert told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Life Is Good will join the […]
Bing Crosby Season Meet Croons Record Handle for Del Mar
Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic that eliminated spectators for its Bing Crosby Season Fall Meet, Del Mar reported a 33% handle increase from 2019. The San Diego-area seaside track checked in with a $195.9 million handle for its five-week fall meet, a byproduct of robust fields, more races, and strong, […]
With Three Contenders, Matriarch Stakes Could Feature a Brown-Out
One of the headline attractions of Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Turf Festival is the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes. And, the Matriarch being a top-tier turf race, you know Chad Brown’s training handiwork can’t be far behind. Brown owns three Eclipse Awards as the country’s top trainer. And he owns those […]
Del Mar’s Hollywood Derby Provides a Good, Old-Fashioned Turf War
The first thing savvy racing fans notice about Saturday’s Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar is the clash between East and West horses, trainers and jockeys. If there was ever a turf war over where North America’s best turf runners reside, well, the Hollywood Derby should provide the answer. […]