Del Mar Racing Ofce
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stunned by the size of along with the state’s other racing venthe crowd of 44,181, a ues, works closely with the California record at the time. Toroughbred Breeders Association to “It was the big- establish the Golden State Series. Te gest crowd I had ever track reaps the benefts when many of seen here,” he said. the cream of the crop are seen competing “It was quite a day, there during its season. especially when a lo“It’s another way to encourage more Te program is critical for Del Mar... cal horse [Dare and and better breeding in the state, Robbins Go], trained by a local said. “We feel this has improved steadily We couldn’t get along without our trainer [Richard Man- over the years. Obviously, this will help all Cal-breds.” — Charlie McCaul della] upset the heavy of our racing programs.” favorite that came in In stakes for Cal-breds and Cal-sired for the race.” runners, Del Mar’s ledger numbers eight, Being at Del Mar allows McCaul to Even though Del Mar’s racing sched- with total purses for those stakes coming indulge his favorite sport away from the ule is peppered with 21 graded stakes, to $1.1 million, a tidy sum for breeders, racetrack. “I’m a big baseball fan, so I including seven grade Is, Robbins never owners, and trainers of state-bred horses. try to get to Petco Park as often as I can discounts the impact of California-breds Te stakes program covers 2-year-olds and during the season to watch the [San Di- on the program. A question about their 3-year-olds of both sexes and older horses. ego] Padres play.” importance brings this quick and to-the- Six of the races are on the main track and Moreno now is in his 40th year work- point response: “Without Cal-breds, we the remaining two, both for 3-year-olds ing at Del Mar. Most of those years have don’t exist. No way the tracks in the state and older, are on the Jimmy Durante Turf been spent in the racing ofce, following can sustain a 12-month racing calendar Course. a few years getting his feet wet in a num- without them. So it’s critical that we keep Over the years Cal-breds have fared ber of other jobs on the well in Del Mar’s major grounds. It all started for stakes also, including Moreno in 1977. in the track’s signature When talking about event, the $1 million Del Mar on a personTVG Pacifc Clasal level, Moreno makes sic, to be contested it short and very sweet: this year on Aug. 20. “Tis place has been a Wearing the mantle of big part of my life.” ExPacifc Classic champanding a bit, he said, “It pion were Best Pal in seems like only yesterday 1991’s inaugural race, that I started here, but Bertrando in 1993, after 40 years I still look Free House in 1998, forward to being here General Challenge in every year. Each year has 1999, Lava Man in been great, and it [the 2006 and Acclamation track] has grown and in 2011. Perhaps Califourished throughout Cal-breds constitute about 49 percent of Del Mar’s starters throughout the season, fornia Chrome will add not only for Cal-bred races but for open races as well those years.” his name to that list this Standing out in that year. respect is the upgrading of the old grand- the program as strong as we can. We’ve all And how about the Cal-bred that many stand and the modernizing of the pad- tinkered a little bit now and then to pro- in the game consider the state’s best ever– dock. Tinking of that also triggered a vide more incentives. Native Diver. He certainly bloomed at couple of memories inspired by work in “Te program is critical for Del Mar Del Mar, winning the San Diego Handthe backside racing ofce. and for all the other racing venues in icap three times, from 1963 to 1965, and “Tere were no copy machines, no fax- Southern California and Northern Cali- the Del Mar Handicap in 1967. Te Del es,” Moreno recalled. “We had to go to fornia. Cal-breds make up about 40 per- Mar Handicap came in his fnal career the front side to use the Xerox machine to cent of our starters throughout the season. race, a ftting swan song for the spectacuget the entries printed out.” And not just for Cal-bred races but for lar runner who is buried in track’s infeld. When the spectacular Cigar came to our open races, too. We couldn’t get along His remains were removed from HollyDel Mar to run in the 1996 Pacifc Clas- without our Cal-breds.” wood Park following its closing and reinsic (gr. I), Moreno remembers how he was Robbins pointed out that Del Mar, terred at Del Mar. 28
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED
❙ August 2016 ❙ www.ctba.com