Del Mar Racetrack
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club logo
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| Location | Del Mar, California |
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| Operated by | Del Mar Thoroughbred Club |
| Date opened | July 3, 1937 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred |
| Course type | Turf, Dirt |
| Notable races | Pacific Classic (G1) Eddie Read Stakes (G1) Del Mar Oaks (G1) Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) Del Mar Debutante (G1) Del Mar Futurity (G1) |
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Del Mar racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 mi (32 km) north of San Diego. It is the second largest horse-racing venue in the western United States, which has a capacity of 44,000. The facility is owned by the State of California and leased by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogans: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf" as well as "Cool as Ever." It was built by a partnership including Bing Crosby, actors Pat O'Brien, Gary Cooper, Joe E. Brown, Charles S. Howard and Oliver Hardy.
The Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Surfside Race Place all share just one address for the entire complex 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar CA 92014.
Michael Wrona is track announcer, who replaced Trevor Denman as voice of Del Mar. Wrona also does commentating at Santa Anita Park.
When Del Mar opened in 1937, Bing Crosby was at the gate to personally greet the fans. On August 12, 1938, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-all match race between Charles S. Howard's Seabiscuit and the Binglin Stable's colt, Ligaroti. In an era when horse racing ranked second in popularity with Americans to Major League Baseball, the match race was much written and talked about and was the first nationwide broadcast of a Thoroughbred race by NBC radio. In the race, Seabiscuit was ridden by jockey George Woolf and Ligaroti by Noel Richardson. In front of a record crowd that helped make the fledgling Del Mar race track a success, Seabiscuit won an exciting battle by a nose.
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