The crowd is small in numbers and pretty laid back. The jockeys walk unbothered from the jocks room to the paddock. Each race winner comes back to a usual quaint gathering of owners, if there are any at all on hand. There really is no buzz around the track, in fact sometimes you can hear the horns of the trucks on the nearby freeway more than you can here the cheer of the crowd or the track announcer.
It’s a nice relaxing day.
Last week, I took a small break from my hometown track and ventured down the coast to vacation in San Diego. I couldn’t pass up a chance to visit Del Mar. Thanks to the media department led by Mac McBride I was able to secure photo credentials for the three days I was there.
I left a weekend of “Where the Bay Comes to Play” for “Where the Surf Meets the Turf ”. I quickly found out how different life is in the big city.
I spent the first morning on the backside, where I soon got lost. Maybe it was the vast area or maybe the fact that there were three entrances to the track rather than one, like back home. When I found my way, I ran into star power when I saw Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer sharing a laugh near the racing office.
Once at the track, I continued to be awed by my surroundings.
Lets see, the jockeys had escorts, the paddock had a large a viewing screen and the TVG set had cameras everywhere. Oh yea, the press room had a daily buffet style lunch.
After shooting some pictures in the paddock I noticed more star power. Baffert had a special guest by his side, former major league manager Joe Torre. When I mentioned it to someone, they said he comes by often.
As the horses left the paddock I followed them to the track, making the walk under the pristine Del Mar arch. As I approached the rail, wall to wall people lined the path and the famous Del Mar song (Where the Turf meets the Surf) played on the big screen.
Watching a race from trackside at Del Mar is a surreal experience. The huge crowd (the meet averaged over 17,000 a day) sent up a roar, when the horses swung for home, like I had never heard before. A packed winners circle of nicely dressed owners greeted every winner, two and three rows deep.
Indeed Del Mar is a special place.
When my vacation ended, I returned to Golden Gate.
I parked in my usual spot in the owners lot, waived at the backside gate keeper like I always do, and said hello to a few valets who asked where I had been the last few days.
I didn't need my press pass and I wasn't a strange face. I was home.
Hollendorfer Gets 6,000th Win
The chase finally ended for the hall of fame trainer, when after a nearly two week slump, win number 6,000 came at Golden Gate Fields on September 3rd, when Russell Baze booted home Just Tappin It in a $4,000 claiming race. The wait had lasted nine racing days and endured a 1-for-33 slump after he got win number 5,998. Seems appropriate it happened at GGF with Base in the saddle, just like so many of his past wins.