del mar thoroughbred club | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hit The Road Takes Oceanside On Del Mar Opening Day; Despite Empty Stands, Handle Increases

European veteran Umberto Rispoli made his Del Mar debut a notable one by winning three races – including the featured Runhappy Oceanside Stakes – as the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club kicked off its 2020 season with nary a fan in the stands at the seaside track in Del Mar, Calif..

The shore oval began its 81st season in fine fashion on the racetrack and in the counting house, but it surely missed its usual crowd of 40,000 or so party goers who traditionally make the opener a love-in as they welcome racing back to San Diego.

“We're racing and we're going to continue to race this summer,” said DMTC's CEO, Joe Harper. “We'd love to have our fans, of course, but we're delighted to be racing.”

Rispoli, the 31-year-old Italian rider who has made a serious impact in the riding scene in Southern California in the past year, saved ground nicely with his More Than Ready colt Hit the Road, then when a slight hole opened turning for home on the Del Mar turf course, gunned him through the middle and went on to tally impressively by a length and three quarters.

The Kentucky-bred is owned by Daniel Koetteing's D K Racing, Kyle Yost's Taste of Victory Stables and Rick Gold and is trained by Dan Blacker.

Hit the Road, the 8-5 favorite in the Runhappy Oceanside, paid $5.20, $3.60 and $2.80 across the board.

Second was Wertheimer & Frere's Kandrel ($13.20 and $8.60), while Peter Redekop's Ajourneytofreedom ran third ($9.40). The splits were :22.82, :47.41, 1:11.71, 1:23.70 and 1:35.09.

Del Mar's total handle on the 10-race card was $15,346,805, a 3.54% increase over 2019's Opening Day total of $14,821,720.

The overall racing was highly competitive (seven of the 10 races called for photo finishes to decide the winner) and cleanly run. The good start to the 28-day session bodes well for more good racing to follow on the track's Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekly schedule leading up to a Labor Day Monday (September 7) finale.

First post daily will be at 2 p.m.

UMBERTO RISPOLI (Hit the Road, winner) – “I think Dan (trainer Dan Blacker) has done a terrific job with this horse. He ran a very, very good race today. He broke really well and so I could take the rail. I had a lot of horse; more horse than I thought. Maybe I could have won this race by more. I love being in California; it feels like home. I'm working hard every day and having some results. Everyone told me about Del Mar and Opening Day, what a big deal it is. But we can't have the fans now; too bad. But right now I'm still loving Del Mar. It's a good day for me.”

DAN BLACKER (Hit the Road, winner) – “I'm just thrilled to win a big race on opening day at Del Mar. The Oceanside is like my Kentucky Derby. It's unfortunate that there were no fans, but that's the way things are. Umberto (Rispoli) ran a faultless race and the horse is super talented. You can put him on the lead or take him back and Umberto put him in a perfect spot.”

FRACTIONS: :22.82 :47.41 1:11.71 1:23.70 1:35.09

The victory by Rispoli was his first stakes win at Del Mar.

The victory by Blacker is his second stakes win at Del Mar and first in the Runhappy Oceanside.

The winner is owned by D K Racing (Daniel Koetteing of San Diego), Taste of Victory Stables (Kyle Yost of Middletown, MD) and Rick Gold.

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Beat Ray Every Day At Del Mar: And You Can Do It … For FREE!

With apologies to the late actor and horseplayer Mickey Rooney, I lost $20 on my first visit to Del Mar in 1979 and spent the next 41 years trying to win it back.

Maybe in appreciation of that dedication, along with the “taking one for the team” selfless attitude that has kept me coming back to the Southern California seaside track every year, my so-called friends at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club ~~hoodwinked~~ invited me to be the ~~sucker~~ centerpiece for an online contest that begins today and runs each day throughout the summer meet ending on Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Here's the deal.

It's free to play. Sign up here. Now. All you have to do is bet a mythical $100 each day on the selected contest race in win, place or show bets on any horse or horses. You can read the specific rules here.

If, at the end of the summer meet, you wind up with the highest bankroll of your accumulated bets, you'll win two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. There are other prizes for top 10 finishers and anyone who has a higher bankroll than me at the end of the meet (dream on!) will be entered into a drawing for additional prizes.

Anyone who can beat me, given my decades of ~~losing~~ playing Del Mar, will own the deserved title of Beach Boss.

To make things more ~~humiliating for me~~ interesting, Del Mar is enlisting some celebrity handicappers to see if they have what it takes to out-handicap me. Every Saturday at 11 a.m. PT on Del Mar's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube), I'll join television host Michelle Yu and and a guest handicapper for some friendly conversation and analysis of the day's contest race. First up this week is Larry Collmus, who is subbing for longtime track announcer Trevor Denman this summer. Thankfully, they've thrown me a patsy on this first week.

I'm going into this ~~petrified~~ brimming with confidence that all these years of experience are going to pay off. Bring it on!

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Baffert Ready For ‘Change Of Scenery’ As Del Mar Meet Kicks Off Friday

The Del Mar racing season, which starts Friday, represents “a breath of fresh air,” for Southern California Thoroughbred racing in 2020 in the opinion of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert,

“We needed a change of scenery – drastically,” Baffert, 67, said by phone Wednesday, anticipating his 32nd season here. Baffert and his fellow horsemen venture south following a Santa Anita winter/spring season interrupted and a Triple Crown Series turned inside out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baffert's batch of 3-year-olds with supreme Kentucky Derby potential – judged even deeper than usual this year – had their numbers trimmed by injury and other circumstances during a spring of discontent. But with the arrival of summer, and the postponement of the Kentucky Derby from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in September, Baffert remains a strong candidate to win a sixth Run For The Roses.

Over the years here Baffert has gone from winning training titles (seven straight from 1997-2003) to focusing on stakes and especially showcasing stars in the 2-year-old (14 Futurity, 8 Debutante winners) and Handicap divisions (5 Pacific Classics).

More of the same would appear in store this summer. But Baffert said the cooler and fresher air here would feel even better if it were breathed – albeit through a mask – with the owners who provide him the stars of his stable. Like most tracks around the country, Del Mar's season will operate, to begin at least, without spectators in the stands in accordance with protocols agreed upon with the San Diego County Board of Health and other governmental authorities.

A bevy of Baffert's stars are already stabled at Del Mar with potential to run this summer.

Scheduled first is Maximum Security in the $150,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap on July 18. Maximum Security, transferred to Baffert's care in March, was first under the wire in the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified. The New Year's Day colt rebounded with victories in the Grade I Haskell Invitational and Cigar Mile in a three-win streak from July to December and was voted an Eclipse Award as the top 3-year-old of the year.

“He looks great, he shipped down from Santa Anita well and he'll work this weekend,” Baffert said.

The San Diego Handicap is a traditional stepping stone to the TVG Pacific Classic, a race Baffert mentioned as a potential start for McKinzie, who shipped here from New York following a disappointing effort in the recent Met Mile at Belmont Park. The loss of two shoes during the race provides a major Met Mile explanation, Baffert said.

The rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby means that Del Mar will have a Derby prep race for the first time in history. That's the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes on August 1. Baffert has Cezanne and Uncle Chuck, impressive recent winners at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos, here. “I'll definitely run one,” Baffert said.

Never short on talented 2-year-olds, Baffert declined to single any out as Debutante or Futurity prospects at this time.

“It's too early. I'm a little bit behind with them right now,” Baffert said.

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Del Mar Live: Televised, Online Opportunities For Seaside Racing Fans In 2020

They're calling it the next-best-thing-to-being-there when it comes to the races at Del Mar this summer. It's “Del Mar Live” – “From your #HomeTurfClub.”

Though the track plans to run its 2020 summer season with an empty grandstand, televised and online racing opportunities will abound for Del Mar racing fans in shared and exciting environments all around San Diego.

More than 20 local restaurants, hotels and a casino have signed on to be part of “Live,” which will launch when the track begins running this Friday (July 10).

Those locations will offer a full scope of their unique foods and libations, notably the Del Mar signature drinks – the Del Margarita and the Del Martini. Also, they'll be presenting special sign-up betting propositions from TVG – the nation's foremost racing channel and advanced deposit wagering site – with a chance to be part of the action for fans, families and friends.

And that Opening Day jewel – this year's 26th edition of the Opening Day Hats Contest – will strut on stage via Instagram and Twitter for all to see with a panel of celebrity judges ready to declare the 2020 winner of a fashion statement that has become one of Del Mar's most sought-after honors.

The television connection for “Del Mar Live” consists of the TVG Network, DirecTV 602, Dish Network 399, AT&T U-verse 672 (SD) 1671 (HD) and Verizon FiOS 315 (SD) 815 (HD). Additionally, races can be seen on the TVG app.

The location lineup for “Live” includes many establishments in the immediate area of the seaside oval, among them Brigantine Del Mar, Red Tracton's, Truluck's, Jake's Del Mar, Tony's Jacal, Pizza Port (four locations), Fidel's Little Mexico and Jimmy O's. Also on the roster are a pair of popular hotels – the Del Mar Hilton across the street from the track and Pendry San Diego, the boutique hotel in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. An added starter in the mix is Sycuan Resort and Casino, which will be offering a Del Mar experience complete with guest handicappers, a dedicated area for TVG watch and wagering and a handicapping tournament where the winner can earn two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championship.

Each “Live” location will be offering many TV screens to view the day's 10-race card, the Del Mar drink specials and colorful Del Mar/TVG coasters for all. Fans can watch the majestic Thoroughbreds do their thing and be part of the sporting activity by wagering on their TVG app or at TVG.com.

The Opening Day Hats Contest is available to all who forward pictures using the hashtag #DelMarHatsContest and tagging @DelMarRacing in the photo. The Instagram location is www.instagram.com and the Twitter access is at www.twitter.com and they accept entries anytime on July 10 up until 6 p.m. PST. The profile must be publicly accessible to be viewed and judged.

The grand prize winner gets two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar and a $500 gift certificate for Christine A. Moore Millinery. The total value of the prize is $1,500. Second-place finisher gets a $250 Studio Savvy Salon gift basket and a $250 gift certificate to Christine A. Moore Millinery. Third prize is a $250 gift certificate to Christine A. Moore Millinery and fourth is a $200 gift certificate to Studio Savvy Salon.

The “Hats” celebrity judges are Heather Lake (Fox 5), Lauren Phinney (KUSI), Ashley Jacobs (TV personality) and Deena Von Yokes (Studio Savvy).

Del Mar will race every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from July 10 up to and including Labor Day Monday, September 7. First post daily will be at 2 p.m.

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