Del Mar's 2017 summer schedule will offer 41 stakes races worth $7.3 million during a 36-day season, the San Diego County racetrack announced March 22.
Racing at Del Mar will begin July 19 and end Sept. 4, with its richest and most prestigious afternoon coming on Aug. 19, when the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (G1) will be presented for the 27th time as the highlight of a stakes-filled card.
The Del Mar stakes program is expected to take on extra significance this year with the 34th edition of the Breeders' Cup World Championships headed to the seaside track for the first time as part of its fall session. Horsemen from around the country are expected to take advantage of the summer races as preps for their runners who are being pointed for any of the 13 championship events to be held Nov. 3-4.
The track will offer 33 advertised stakes, carrying purses from $100,000 to $1 million, as well as eight overnight stakes, each worth $75,000. The advertised stakes include 21 graded events—six of them grade 1 races, 11 at grade 2, and four at grade 3.
This year's Pacific Classic card also will offer the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1T) and the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap (G2T).
Nineteen of the stakes will be run on the grass with the other 22 on the main track.
"For the most part, this is the traditional Del Mar stakes schedule that's been a popular presentation for us for the last decade," said David Jerkens, Del Mar's racing secretary. "Our horsemen know it and like it. Our fans do, too. It's a case of a perfect racetrack axiom: you stick with a winner."
As in previous summer seasons, five of Del Mar's key stakes have been scheduled as Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races, meaning a victory in any of them will guarantee the winning horse an entry—with all fees paid—in a corresponding Breeders' Cup divisional race, along with a travel bonus if the horse is based outside California.
One of the "Win and You're In" races is the TVG Pacific Classic, which guarantees admission to the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Del Mar's other stakes with direct Breeders' Cup ties are the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) July 29, guaranteeing admission to the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1); the $300,000, Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) July 30 (Breeders' Cup Distaff, G1); the Del Mar Handicap (Breeders' Cup Turf, G1T), and the $200,000 Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) Aug. 26 (Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, G1).
Del Mar will present its two championship races for 2-year-olds on Labor Day weekend. The pair of grade 1 headliners—the Del Mar Debutante for fillies Sept. 2 and the Del Mar Futurity Sept. 4—are run at seven furlongs and carry purses of $300,000.
"We've got the only $1 million race in the West for older horses in the TVG Pacific Classic," said Tom Robbins, Del Mar's executive vice president for racing. "We've got a race that's showcased the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner in three of the last four years in the Del Mar Futurity. And we've got a series of races in all our categories that flow beautifully during our meet and then project forward to the Breeders' Cup championship events, which, of course, we have right here this year."
Del Mar has returned to its traditional Wednesday opening this year and will race five days per week (Wednesday through Sunday) for the entire summer, finishing with a six-day week concluding on the Labor Day Monday holiday. Post time throughout the session will be 2 p.m., with the exception of Fridays, when the first race goes off at 4 p.m. for the first five of those days, then at 3:30 p.m. for the last two (Aug. 25 and Sept. 1).
|
DATE |
RACE / CONDITIONS |
PURSE / DISTANCE |
|
Wed. Jul 19 |
OCEANSIDE STAKES |
$100,000 Added |
|
Fri. Jul 21 |
Osunitas Stakes* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Sat. Jul 22 |
SAN DIEGO HANDICAP (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Jul 22 |
EDDIE READ STAKES (Gr. II) |
$250,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Jul 23 |
SAN CLEMENTE HANDICAP (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Jul 23 |
Wickerr Stakes* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Wed. Jul 26 |
COUGAR II HANDICAP (Gr. III) |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Fri. Jul 28 |
REAL GOOD DEAL STAKES |
$150,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Jul 29 |
BING CROSBY STAKES (Gr. I) |
$300,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Jul 29 |
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' STAKES |
$150,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Jul 30 |
CLEMENT L. HIRSCH STAKES (Gr. I) |
$300,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Jul 30 |
FLEET TREAT STAKES |
$150,000 Guaranteed |
|
Wed. Aug 02 |
CTBA STAKES |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Fri. Aug 04 |
Daisycutter Handicap* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Sat. Aug 05 |
YELLOW RIBBON HANDICAP (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Aug 05 |
SORRENTO STAKES (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Aug 06 |
LA JOLLA HANDICAP (Gr. III) |
$150,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Aug 06 |
GRADUATION STAKES |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Fri. Aug 11 |
SOLANA BEACH STAKES |
$150,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Aug 12 |
BEST PAL STAKES (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Aug 13 |
RANCHO BERNARDO HANDICAP (Gr. III) |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Wed. Aug 16 |
CTT and TOC Handicap* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Fri. Aug 18 |
Green Flash Handicap* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Sat. Aug 19 |
TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC (Gr. I) |
$1,000,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Aug 19 |
DEL MAR HANDICAP (Gr. II) |
$250,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Aug 19 |
DEL MAR OAKS (Gr. I) |
$300,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Aug 20 |
DEL MAR MILE (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Wed. Aug 23 |
Harry F. Brubaker Stakes* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Fri. Aug 25 |
Tranquility Lake Stakes* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Sat. Aug 26 |
PAT O'BRIEN STAKES (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Aug 26 |
SHARED BELIEF STAKES |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Aug 27 |
TORREY PINES STAKES (Gr. III) |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Wed. Aug 30 |
GENEROUS PORTION STAKES |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Fri. Sep 01 |
I'M SMOKIN STAKES |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Sep 02 |
DEL MAR DEBUTANTE (Gr. I) |
$300,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sat. Sep 02 |
JOHN C. MABEE STAKES (Gr. II) |
$200,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Sep 03 |
DEL MAR DERBY (Gr. II) |
$250,000 Guaranteed |
|
Sun. Sep 03 |
DEL MAR JUVENILE TURF |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Mon. Sep 04 |
DEL MAR JUVENILE FILLIES TURF |
$100,000 Guaranteed |
|
Mon. Sep 04 |
C.E.R.F. Stakes* |
$75,000 Added |
|
Mon. Sep 04 |
DEL MAR FUTURITY (Gr. I) |
$300,000 Guaranteed |