Del Mar Facts
Del Mar Facts Del Mar is unique in that its facilities are owned by the State of California and controlled by the 22nd District Agricultural Association, operators of the Southern California Exposition, which annually attracts more than a million visitors from mid-June through the 4th of July holiday to what is commonly called the “Del Mar Fair.”
Since 1970, Del Mar racing has been operated by a corporation of prominent California owners, breeders and community leaders known as the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Its original—and continuing— mission was to conduct the sport for the sport's gain and to channel profits back into the facility. Under a non-dividend-paying arrangement, neither directors nor stockholders receive individual remuneration.
History
July 3, 1937—Del Mar opens its gates for the first time and Bing Crosby is there to greet a crowd of more than 15,000. Twenty-two days of racing are presented that first season “where the turf meets the surf.”
August 12, 1938—Seabiscuit, with "Iceman" George Woolf aboard, outduels Ligaroti, ridden by Spec Richardson, to win their historic $25,000 match race before 20,000 at the track and a nationwide radio audience. Sporting types note the race put Del Mar “on the map.”
September 3, 1956—John Longden becomes the world's winningest rider with victory No. 4,871 aboard Arrogate in the Del Mar Handicap. Longden surpasses the mark of Englishman Sir Gordon Richards. September 7, 1970—Bill Shoemaker displaces John Longden as the sport's winningest rider, scoring astride Dares J for his 6,033 triumph.
August 10, 1991—Golden Eagle Farm's 3-year-old Best Pal, owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mabee, wins the inaugural running of the $1-million Pacific Classic.
July 28, 1993—On opening day, Del Mar unveils its completed $80-million grandstand, doubling its capacity in a state-of-the-art facility. The award-winning complex was completed one year ahead of schedule and under budget.
August 10, 1996—Two-time Horse of the Year Cigar comes to Del Mar for the sixth Pacific Classic and a chance to go past Citation and his modern-day record of 16 straight wins. But the track's largest crowd ever—44,181—witnesses a shocker instead of a crowning when 40-1 Dare And Go upsets the 1-10 favorite.
July 18, 2007 – The track opened its first season on the engineered racing surface Polytrack, installed at a cost of more than $9-million. The mixture of sand, rubber, fibers and wax proved kinder and more consistent than the previous dirt surface and helped ensuring safer competition for horses and riders.
Track’s “Performance”
• Del Mar has been among the nation's elite tracks in terms of daily average handle for the past two decades. In 2007 its daily average was $13,985,027, the second highest in its 68 seasons of racing.
• Del Mar also has been a national leader in terms of daily average attendance for the past two decades. In 2007 the on-track attendance was 16,719 per day, and 26,074 overall including its Southern California satellites.
• When the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club took over the track in 1970, the daily average handle was $1,985,807 and the daily average attendance was 9,684. In the 38 years since, the handle has increased more than 500% and the attendance by nearly 200%.
• In 2007, Del Mar paid its horsemen a record total of $25,204,023 in purses, a daily average of $586,140, ranking it among a handful of the nation’s premier tracks.
• In 2007, the DMTC simulcast signal was sent to more than 1,000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere from Canada to Argentina. The signal added a record $273,027,541 to the track’s pari-mutuel pool.
Economic Impact
• Since its inception in 1970, DMTC has paid nearly $653.6 million to the state, its agencies and municipalities and various charities, including:
–$372.5 million to the State of California
–$209.2 million to the Del Mar Fairgrounds
–$21.0 million to California municipalities, including $9.6 million to the City of Del Mar
–$7.1 million to charity
–$43.8 million to equine research and breeding
• Track employment during the summer race meet exceeds 3,300
• Annual track payroll of $17 million
• University of San Diego School of Business economic study put Del Mar's impact in San Diego County at nearly $90 million in spending each year
• North County hotels have an average occupancy of 69.8% on an annual basis, but in August -- during the heart of the Del Mar meet -- occupancy jumps to 86.7%, with many hotels exceeding 90%
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