Greetings from southern California, at the time honored place where the Turf meets the Surf.
This infrequent flyer endured seven hours on a plane without going as daffy as a Jet Blue flight attendant, and I’m now reaping the rewards of all that jet lag by looking out at the West Coast’s summer oasis for racing.
It’s a bit hazy today at Del Mar, but the temperature is cool and there’s no humidity.
Sorry, but this East Coast born and bred scribe has to chuckle at saying that. Looking up at a monitor at Saratoga, I understand the temperature is in the 90’s and it’s a fairly safe bet there’s enough sweat out there to fill the Big Red Spring.
So let’s get this straight. They’re broiling in the upstate New York part of the supposedly cool and airy Adirondack Mountains. Meanwhile, I’m in California, not that far from the Mexican border, and I’m bone dry and lovin’ it. Maybe Al Gore is right.
Anyway, sitting here in the Del Mar pressbox looking out over the track is indeed a special treat. It’s simply gorgeous here.
It’s not Saratoga, which will always be near and dear to my heart. Actually it’s totally different, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own charm and allure that can be addictive.
While Saratoga beckons the feeling of a hundred years past, Del Mar is a more modern place. Look out at Saratoga and you only see trees. Here you see a more modern setting with fashionable homes on the hills overlooking the track, and palm trees instead of evergreens.
To the right, you see the highways and streets that reflect the hustle and bustle of everyday life in California. But turn to the left and there’s what separates Del Mar from so many other tracks and makes it such a mesmerizing setting. You’ll see the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing on to the shore, giving life to the words first sung decades ago by Bing Crosby.
It’s a place that fits right in with the notion of California cool. It’s hip, mixing plenty of activity with a relaxed fun-loving southwestern setting and feel from the grandstand to the paddock to the infield.
And it’s home to some fabulous racing.
What more can an improver of the breed ask for at the West Coast’s playground for handicappers?
I’ll be here today and Friday, and I’ll do my best to tell the story of what goes into a day at the races here and why even shippers from a different time zone like me will love this place. The sights, the sounds, the places to see. What it needs (ah, can we add the YES network to the television package here for tomorrow afternoon’s Yankee game, please. Pretty please. I’m going through withdrawal, guys).
And feel free to pass along your comments. I’ve got some tips already and will happily investigate whatever you believe makes the Del Mar experience even better.
Here’s my early thoughts:
- Love the paddock here. The grass inside the walking ring is manicured like a putting green and it’s filled with plenty of colorful flowers and shrubbery that give it the look of a botanical garden.
- Saw a jockey’s statue with an owner’s colors in the middle of the paddock and thought for a second they were Jess Jackson’s. Then I remembered it’s a polytrack surface and scratched that notion.
- Liked the way there are bars flanking each side of the paddock with great views of the saddling areas. There’s the Best Pal Pub on the grandstand side and the Charlie Whittingham Sports Bar on the clubhouse side, and either is a nice place to wash away the sting of a tough beat.
- Speaking of which, I see a lot of Dos Equis signs but I can’t find the Most Interesting Man in the World walking around the grounds. Suggestion to the cool dude: Get out to Del Mar start gambling my friend. I imagine it would be great to bet the races with him and his lovely posse, but I’m sure if my horse beats his I would not feel bad at all. I might buy him a Molson Golden, though.
- Besides that, you have to love a place with a Jose Cuervo Especial Margarita stand.
They even have Heineken on tap at the hot dog stands. How do these folks even read the past performances? I’m getting bleary-eyed just thinking about the available options.
- Great new discoveries abound here. And I’ll gladly pass up Hattie’s sweet potato fries and fried chicken sandwich at the Spa for once to try out either a fish taco or shrimp and chips at one of the stands. So long, diet, and thank the lord my wife is tied up with business.
The spires at Saratoga are timeless, but belltowers are growing on me.
- Asked about buying the Ragozin Sheets at the Information Desk and after receiving a puzzled look at first, the poor fellow started saying something that sounded like Bed, Bath and Beyond. Wait until Len Friedman hears that!
- Saw something you see only at a place like Del Mar and Saratoga. There was a line of people outside the front gate at about 11:55 a.m., waiting for noon when the gates would open. Outside of Belmont Stakes Day, I don’t think there’s been a line like that at either Belmont Park or Aqueduct since about 1968 when I was a 12-year-old kid in Queens Village, seeing cars waiting in line to park at Belmont and wondering why someone would wait in line to go to something other than a baseball game.
- While walking to the pressbox, saw a restaurant named Il Palio and got homesick. There’s a restaurant named Il Palio in Shelton. This one in Del Mar has a fabulous view of the racetrack. The one in Shelton overlooks an industrial park. What are ya gonna do?
- Now on to the racing. I’m actually doing pretty well at the windows, which is making a great day even more scrumptious. Hit the daily double, the pick three for the second through fourth races and the fourth race exacta.
Had two best bets, Greeley’s Ghost in the second and Spanish Bunny in the fourth, which served as my keys. Greely’s Ghost was fourth at 4-5, but at least my second choice in the race saved me. Then Spanish Bunny won the fourth and paid $9.80. Shrimp and Chips here I come.
I did give these two out yesterday as a comment to my original blog on Del Mar trip, so I am not past-posting on all of this, believe it or not.
- Apparently I’m not the only one winning at Del Mar. Walking in there are several tip sheets on sale, and judging by all the circled winners on Saturday’s card a lot of folks must have won enough money to buy the island of Guam – or a sequined t-shirt at one of the tourista shops near my hotel. I think Bob Baedeker’s sheet listed all 11 winners on Saturday. So how come when I bet Mr. B’s pick three ticket on TVG I always seem to rip it up? Can someone explain that to me. Am I the anchor?
- I do have to wager on Yankee Romance in the seventh as a hunch bet. I’m a little worried, though. Her current form is about as good as the Padres’. Guess I can kiss goodbye any chance of watching the Yankees after that crack.
Well, that will about do it for today.
The tour will continue tomorrow. If you want to join me, I haven’t even looked at a weather forecast, but I’m going to say the weather will be fine. I’ve learned that’s the way it is out here. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. (local time) and post time for the first race is 3:30 p.m. There’s a stakes, the $100,000 El Cajon Stakes, and I have a sentimental pick there of Goggles McCoy, for reasons I’ll explain tomorrow.
Otherwise, I like Westwood Pride in the second, Black Coyote in the third and Oui Say Oui, from Zenyatta’s trainer, in the fifth for starters.
There’s even a post-race concert with The English Beat after the races. That group is listed as one of the most influential bands of the British Ska movement, whatever that means. Sounds interesting but after wylin’ out last Saturday at Rock The Bells with the Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dog, I don’t know if I’ll have enough energy for it.
These vacations can be exhausting but oh so much fun, especially at Del Mar.
And what are your thoughts on a day at Del Mar? Let’s hear more about you like folks.
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