Del Mar opens on Wednesday, with a new 5-day-per-week schedule
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
DEL MAR To borrow a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song title, Don't Come Around Here No More on Mondays looking for live thoroughbred racing.
With the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club having gone from a six-to five-day format, a week from today will mark the first dark Monday of a summer season here in 64 years.
From its opening in 1937 through 1945 (minus three years during World War II when there was no racing), cards were presented on a Tuesday-to-Saturday schedule. From 1946 to 1974, the six-day racing week, with Monday added, became standard. Since 1975, when racing joined other sports in doing business on Sundays, Del Mar has been open Wednesday to Monday.
But the state of the economy, a decline in the race-ready horse population and other factors prompted the DMTC to request and receive permission from the California Horse Racing Board to cut back this year.
Gulfstream Park in Florida and a few other tracks had set precedent for the move. After Del Mar's announcement, Hollywood Park and even venerated Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, have taken similar courses.
The bright spin the DMTC applied to a proposal broached in February was that an additional dark day would provide horses, horsemen and players needed rest and recuperation time and hopefully lead to bigger fields, higher quality of competition and an overall better product on race days. Monday was generally the lightest day of the week, business-wise, anyway.
That's their story and they're sticking to it.
We were 99.9 percent sure this was the right decision when we made it, and in light of everything that has gone on since, now we're probably 110 percent sure, said Joe Harper, DMTC president, CEO and general manager.
It has been in the planning stages for a long time. We were the only guys with a six-day meet, and in the present environment, it's clear the time has come.
Resistance to the idea was light when it was presented to the CHRB in April. A spokesman for one of two unions that represents track workers lamented the loss of hours it would mean for them. One horse owner called it setting a bad precedent to let Del Mar renege on their commitment.
It passed unanimously. Shortly thereafter, Hollywood Park went from a five-to four-day week. And trainers surveyed over the past few weeks consider Del Mar's move to be a sign of, and reaction to, the times.
I've always wanted Del Mar to be five days anyway, for selfish reasons, because I think it's too hectic of a schedule from a trainer's standpoint, said Ron Ellis, who saddled Rail Trip to win the Hollywood Gold Cup.
From a business standpoint, I think it was a very wise move for Del Mar, because there's just not the horse inventory to sustain a quality meet six days a week.
I'm a little concerned about whether they'll be able to sustain a five-day week because Hollywood Park had trouble with a four-day week, but I hope it works out. It's not going to be that easy for Del Mar even with a five-day meet because the horse inventory is down so much.
By adding extra races to Wednesday, Friday and Sunday cards, Del Mar figures to recoup all but 28 of the 54 races it would have presented on the six abandoned Monday cards.
There are a few less races to win and from a trainer's standpoint, if they'd run them with short fields, it's a lot easier to win, or at least get a part of the purse, in a five-or six-horse race, Ellis said. But from the gambler's perspective, the players don't like to bet on small fields and that's what drives the whole industry.
Trainer Doug O'Neill echoed those sentiments.
I think it's a good thing, O'Neill said. I think field sizes can creep up a little bit. I think you give the horses an extra day to kind of re-energize and I think the bettors, who are the ones who really drive our game, need an extra day to kind of freshen up, too.
You could look at it as you have one less day to run and try to make money. But the thing is, if you look at the inventory right now, if you try to squeeze that additional day, I think there's less of a chance of races filling.
I think going to five days there's a better chance of races filling, so you can plan better with how you (campaign) your horses.
With Del Mar you could race seven days a week and not have a reason to complain. It's so beautiful and the accommodations and everything are so nice. That's if the economy were really booming. But right now, this makes all the sense in the world.
From a business standpoint, past Del Mar meetings have been measured against the overall numbers of the prior year. With fewer racing days, that won't translate directly now and average daily attendance and handle figures will become key.
We're going to declare victory no matter what, DMTC Executive Vice President Craig Fravel said with a laugh. But yes, we'll look at average daily and we hope our figures are as good or better than last year. That's where you do the mental arithmetic.
Business at the recently completed San Diego County Fair was up over 2008. But DMTC officials are hesitant to project from that, saying that the fair and race meeting have no history of corresponding results.
The economy is worse than (the period of the meeting) last summer, gas prices are a little lower, Harper said. Maybe more people in San Diego will have stay-at-home vacations and come out. We hope by going to five days a week we can provide a little more value when they do.
DEL MAR To borrow a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song title, Don't Come Around Here No More on Mondays looking for live thoroughbred racing.
With the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club having gone from a six-to five-day format, a week from today will mark the first dark Monday of a summer season here in 64 years.
From its opening in 1937 through 1945 (minus three years during World War II when there was no racing), cards were presented on a Tuesday-to-Saturday schedule. From 1946 to 1974, the six-day racing week, with Monday added, became standard. Since 1975, when racing joined other sports in doing business on Sundays, Del Mar has been open Wednesday to Monday.
But the state of the economy, a decline in the race-ready horse population and other factors prompted the DMTC to request and receive permission from the California Horse Racing Board to cut back this year.
Gulfstream Park in Florida and a few other tracks had set precedent for the move. After Del Mar's announcement, Hollywood Park and even venerated Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, have taken similar courses.
The bright spin the DMTC applied to a proposal broached in February was that an additional dark day would provide horses, horsemen and players needed rest and recuperation time and hopefully lead to bigger fields, higher quality of competition and an overall better product on race days. Monday was generally the lightest day of the week, business-wise, anyway.
That's their story and they're sticking to it.
We were 99.9 percent sure this was the right decision when we made it, and in light of everything that has gone on since, now we're probably 110 percent sure, said Joe Harper, DMTC president, CEO and general manager.
It has been in the planning stages for a long time. We were the only guys with a six-day meet, and in the present environment, it's clear the time has come.
Resistance to the idea was light when it was presented to the CHRB in April. A spokesman for one of two unions that represents track workers lamented the loss of hours it would mean for them. One horse owner called it setting a bad precedent to let Del Mar renege on their commitment.
It passed unanimously. Shortly thereafter, Hollywood Park went from a five-to four-day week. And trainers surveyed over the past few weeks consider Del Mar's move to be a sign of, and reaction to, the times.
I've always wanted Del Mar to be five days anyway, for selfish reasons, because I think it's too hectic of a schedule from a trainer's standpoint, said Ron Ellis, who saddled Rail Trip to win the Hollywood Gold Cup.
From a business standpoint, I think it was a very wise move for Del Mar, because there's just not the horse inventory to sustain a quality meet six days a week.
I'm a little concerned about whether they'll be able to sustain a five-day week because Hollywood Park had trouble with a four-day week, but I hope it works out. It's not going to be that easy for Del Mar even with a five-day meet because the horse inventory is down so much.
By adding extra races to Wednesday, Friday and Sunday cards, Del Mar figures to recoup all but 28 of the 54 races it would have presented on the six abandoned Monday cards.
There are a few less races to win and from a trainer's standpoint, if they'd run them with short fields, it's a lot easier to win, or at least get a part of the purse, in a five-or six-horse race, Ellis said. But from the gambler's perspective, the players don't like to bet on small fields and that's what drives the whole industry.
Trainer Doug O'Neill echoed those sentiments.
I think it's a good thing, O'Neill said. I think field sizes can creep up a little bit. I think you give the horses an extra day to kind of re-energize and I think the bettors, who are the ones who really drive our game, need an extra day to kind of freshen up, too.
You could look at it as you have one less day to run and try to make money. But the thing is, if you look at the inventory right now, if you try to squeeze that additional day, I think there's less of a chance of races filling.
I think going to five days there's a better chance of races filling, so you can plan better with how you (campaign) your horses.
With Del Mar you could race seven days a week and not have a reason to complain. It's so beautiful and the accommodations and everything are so nice. That's if the economy were really booming. But right now, this makes all the sense in the world.
From a business standpoint, past Del Mar meetings have been measured against the overall numbers of the prior year. With fewer racing days, that won't translate directly now and average daily attendance and handle figures will become key.
We're going to declare victory no matter what, DMTC Executive Vice President Craig Fravel said with a laugh. But yes, we'll look at average daily and we hope our figures are as good or better than last year. That's where you do the mental arithmetic.
Business at the recently completed San Diego County Fair was up over 2008. But DMTC officials are hesitant to project from that, saying that the fair and race meeting have no history of corresponding results.
The economy is worse than (the period of the meeting) last summer, gas prices are a little lower, Harper said. Maybe more people in San Diego will have stay-at-home vacations and come out. We hope by going to five days a week we can provide a little more value when they do.