Del Mar opens summer meeting July 18

It's almost post time for the 2018 summer racing season at Del Mar.

The track where the turf meets the surf will kick off its 36-day meeting Wednesday, July 18, with an opening-day program that is expected to attract more than 30,000 fans.

The first day of racing at Del Mar annually brings out a nattily-attired crowd ready to party and compete, as the Opening Day Hats Contest always features a bevy of creative participants vying for a share of more than $5,000 in prizes.

Major-league thoroughbred racing will be showcased at Del Mar throughout the summer session, which runs through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3. The track's lucrative stakes schedule features 41 races worth $7,330,000.

The Grade 1 Pacific Classic – the only $1 million race for older horses in California – highlights the stakes slate and will be run Saturday, Aug. 18, when the Grade 1 $300,000 Del Mar Oaks and the Grade 2 $250,000 Del Mar Handicap are also presented.

"Our stakes program was successful last summer so we decided not to really mess with it too much," said Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens.

Jerkens – as he does each summer – will rely on horses stabled at the San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall to help him put together competitive racing cards. Among the top trainers with horses based at San Luis Rey are Peter Miller, Doug O'Neill, Phil D'Amato and Richard Baltas.

"We always get support from San Luis Rey," said Jerkens. "I think a lot of trainers at San Luis Rey look at (racing at Del Mar) as a home game."

Del Mar served as "a home away from home" for many San Luis Rey-based horses when they were evacuated from the training center Dec. 7, 2017, due to the Lilac fire. Del Mar served as both a healing center and training center for the horses and their handlers, hosting the evacuees for more than four months.

Miller, who owns five Del Mar training titles, is among the San Luis Rey-based trainers looking forward to the summer meeting.

"We love Del Mar," said Miller. "I live 10 minutes away in Encinitas and train here in Bonsall, so, definitely, the two Del Mar meets (summer and fall) are the highlight of the year."

Although Miller ran away with the training championship at the 2017 fall meeting at Del Mar – with 19 wins during 16-day meet he won twice as many races as runner-up D'Amato (nine wins) and, incredibly, finished with more wins than leading jockey Flavien Prat (18) ¬– he said isn't thinking about winning a title this summer.

"My goals have changed more toward winning bigger, better races and less toward winning the training title," said Miller, who referred to his record-setting fall meeting as an anomaly. "When the (leading) trainer wins more than the leading jockey...that will probably never happen again."

One of the big races Miller will shoot for at Del Mar this summer is the Grade 1 $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up that will be run Saturday, July 28. Roy H, who won the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Sprint for Miller last fall, will run in the Bing Crosby.

Stormy Liberal, who captured the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint last fall, is expected to start in the $75,000 Green Flash Handicap Friday, Aug. 17. Richard's Boy, who ran second to Stormy Liberal in the Turf Sprint, is also expected to run in the Green Flash, a five-furlong turf dash for 3-year-olds and up.

Miller's terrific mare Belvoir Bay is being pointed for the $75,000 Daisycutter Handicap, a five-furlong grass sprint for fillies and mares that will be run Friday, Aug. 3. Belvoir Bay has won three stakes this year.

In addition to participating in stakes events, Miller said he is excited about unveiling some talented 2-year-olds during the summer meet.

"We have a good mix of horses," said Miller. "We'll have some nice 2-year-olds that should debut at the meet and we have some solid stakes horses. We're in real good shape and excited about the meeting."

Del Mar presents racing Wednesday through Sunday during its summer meet. Post time is 2 p.m. with the exception of Fridays, when first post is 4 p.m. the first five Fridays (July 20 and 27, and Aug. 3, 10 and 17) and 3:30 p.m. the last two Fridays (Aug. 24 and 31). Post time for the closing day/Labor Day card Monday, Sept. 3, is 2 p.m.