CHPC To Fund Economic Breakout Report

The California Horse Power Coalition (CHPC), a growing partnership of Thoroughbred associations, will commit to fund the California breakout report as part of the American Horse Council's California Economic Impact Study, the organization said in a release Thursday.

“The American Horse Council consistently produces the most comprehensive national economic impact studies that showcase the vast benefits that the equine industry brings to communities across the country,” said Josh Rubinstein, President of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, an American Horse Council member. “As our industry continues to evolve, we are confident that the results will underscore our industry's commitment to advancing California's economy, expanding the travel and tourism industry, and creating a space for friends and family to create unforgettable shared experiences together.”

The American Horse Council's economic impact studies examine the industry's contributions to the national GDP, as well as individual states, which includes employment, volunteers, equid population, acreage and more. Each category is also broken down by sector: recreation, racing, competition and working horses.

“The CHPC mission is to preserve and protect California's vibrant equestrian culture. Funding the economic impact study affirms the coalition's commitment to not only uplift the equine industry but to encourage stakeholders, large and small, to use their voice to advance their shared interests,” said Bill Nader, President and CEO of Thoroughbred Owners of California. “To that end, if you benefit from the equine industry in any capacity at all, I encourage you to fill out the following survey links to make your voice heard.”

Click here to learn more about the economic impact study.

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Breeders’ Cup Returning to Del Mar In 2024

The 41st renewal of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Nov. 1 and 2, 2024, officials at the organization announced Thursday. It will be the third time the seaside oval has played host to the event.

“We are delighted to announce that the World Championships will be returning to Del Mar next year for what is sure to be an unforgettable two-year-run on the West Coast,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders' Cup President and CEO.

This year's Breeders' Cup races take place at Santa Anita Nov. 3 and 4.

Fleming added, “Breeders' Cup has always been a strong supporter of California racing and we look forward to showcasing this wonderful venue once again to our horsemen and fans from around the world.”

In 2017 and again in 2021, Del Mar drew fans from around the world and set wagering records on both occasions. In the inaugural Del Mar Breeders' Cup, two-day on-track handle was a record $25,181,317, as Gun Runner stamped his authority on that year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. History was made in 2021, as Japan celebrated its first two Breeders' Cup victories with Loves Only You (Jpn) and Marche Lorraine (Jpn). Despite operating at only 50% capacity due to COVID-related protocols, all-sources handle reached a record $183,260,127.

“We're excited for the return of Breeders' Cup to Del Mar in 2024,” said Josh Rubinstein, President of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “The prestige of the event combined with our venue's iconic, seaside setting makes for an extraordinary weekend. Additionally, we are grateful for the economic support the Championship races bring to our community. This is a milestone event for San Diego and we look forward to building upon the record-breaking success in 2017 and 2021.”

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Del Mar Adjusts Some Starting Gate, Turf Rail Positions After Surveying Turf Course

With the objective of improving the accuracy of tracking and timing data, officials at Del Mar have re-surveyed the track’s turf course with a GPS system that will be in use beginning with the start of the Bing Crosby Meet Oct. 31. In August, the track acknowledged a rash of timing inconsistencies and reported that turf races would be hand timed over the last two weeks of the summer meeting.

In conjunction with Equibase and its timing partner Gmax, Del Mar has re-surveyed its seven-furlong turf oval for the different race distances run over it. The survey included both distances of the races and run-up distances from where the starting gate is positioned to the point where the timing mechanism is triggered.

Accordingly, track officials have modified several starting gate and turf rail positions. The results of the survey also helped Del Mar to correct some historic variations in how distances (measured from the finish line back) were calculated. As a result, adjustments have been made to the position of the poles on the turf course.

“The integrity of timing data is critical and we know we have to get this right,” said Del Mar’s President and Chief Operating Officer Josh Rubinstein. “We believe the adjustments made as a result of the survey, while relatively minor, combined with Gmax’s GPS technology, will provide for more accurate and consistent timing.”

Del Mar conducts grass racing at six different distances-five furlongs, one mile, 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles, 1 3/8 miles and 1 1/2 miles. The turf course has five rail adjustments for its races– zero, 12 feet, 18 feet, 24 feet and 30 feet. Approximately 40% of the track’s races are run on its turf course. Rail adjustments and run-ups are necessary for both safety and fairness, helping to preserve the consistency of the turf course. Track officials noted that in some cases, due to the gate positions, the run-up to where the timing begins may be slightly longer than it was in the past, which could result in slightly faster times.

The Bing Crosby Meet runs through Nov. 29.

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After Gmax Tweaks, Del Mar Expects ‘No Problems With Turf Timing’

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) president Josh Rubinstein told the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Sept. 24 that he expects the track will no longer have to rely on hand-timing turf races at its upcoming fall meet because its inaccurate Equibase Gmax GPS timing system has since been tweaked to fix problems that produced numerous wrong clockings throughout the summer season.

TDN reported back on Aug. 18 that some dirt and turf final times at Del Mar were mis-clocked anywhere between .07 seconds and 1.19 seconds by the industry’s official data-keeper during an August portion of the meet. Those times—initially derived from global positioning metrics—were retroactively hand-clocked, adjusted, and reposted as official without any public disclosure of the corrections.

In an Aug. 20 statement, Equibase acknowledged “inconsistencies” in its Del Mar turf clockings, but said its dirt timings were “highly accurate.”

At that time, Equibase also stated that its Del Mar chart callers would utilize hand-clockings for turf races for the remainder of the meet, which wrapped up Sept. 7.

The Gmax system had just been installed prior to the July-September season. It’s used at 11 other North America racetracks.

“On the turf, when rail positions were moved, there were some challenges,” Rubinstein said Thursday in response to a direct question about the accuracy of the Gmax system from CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales.

“So when we discovered the issue we hand-timed our turf races for the final week and a half [of the meet],” Rubinstein continued. “And [since] the conclusion of the summer meet, over the last two weeks, our turf course is being re-surveyed digitally. And that [data] will be installed into the new Gmax GPS system.

“We expect no problems with turf timing through the GPS system this fall,” Rubinstein emphasized.

“The main track was terrific,” Rubinstein added. “All of the [dirt] GPS times checked out with our backup hand-timed system.”

Gmax debuted in North America 2018. But problems date to at least 2019, when early-adopter Laurel Park discontinued its usage of the system for a period because of inaccuracies, according to an article earlier this month in The Racing Biz.

CHRB commissioners did not press DMTC officials any further on the issue on Thursday after Rubinstein’s assertion that the upcoming meet would be timed problem-free.

The Del Mar fall meet will span 15 race dates from Oct. 31-Nov. 29.

Tom Robbins, DMTC’s executive vice president for racing and industry relations, said stabling will open Oct. 25, with the main track open for training the next morning.

“Unlike the summer meet, where we usually stable around 1,900 horses, the fall meet is largely a ship-in meet with about 350 to 400 horses stabled on-site,” Robbins said.

Last week DMTC announced a 10% overnight purse hike compared to the same autumn meet last season. The reason cited was increased handle revenue.

Robbins also noted that “because of better-than expected business from the summer meet, four stakes races that appear in our license application at reduced levels [the GI Hollywood Debry, GI Matriarch S., GII Seabiscuit H., and GII Hollywood Turf Cup] have been restored to their previous levels.”

With regard to the purse hike, DMTC racing secretary David Jerkens said that “in today’s climate, with many tracks that are cutting back across the country, this is an accomplishment.”

Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, asked the CHRB to extend the previous race-meet agreement for Del Mar even though one isn’t currently in place, as is required for the track’s licensure.

“We’ve made ourselves available for further conversations and negotiations so we can try to get this resolved,” Balch said of the necessary contract. “But I would want to take this opportunity [to] express the trainers’ appreciation for [track management’s] continued efforts to improve the conditions at Del Mar.

Balch, in particular, lauded Del Mar’s “Ship and Win” bonus program.

“They’ve constantly monitored the objective data, and I just want to emphasize the point [that this bonus program] benefits all of California racing, and it’s critically important [to bringing] more horses to California.”

The CHRB unanimously voted to give Del Mar the go-ahead for its fall meet.

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