Del Mar Thoroughbred Club reported a record crowd of 44,907 for the July 22 season opener. That figure exceeded the previous all-time record crowd of 44,181 set in 1996 when Dare and Go upset Cigar in the Pacific Classic (gr. I). Attendance for last year’s Del Mar first day was 43,459.
The track reported total handle of $13,182,915 for the 10-race card, down from the $13,956,989 during the 2008 opener. On-track handle totaled $3,954,702, with $2,916,183 wagered off-track in California. Out of state wagering on the Del Mar card totaled $6,312,030.
A statement from the track noted that its new DelMarBets.com platform proved popular to online bettors as there were several hundred new customers added throughout the day’s race card.
