It’s been 85 years, surf and turf have kissed cousins at Del Mar, and Friday anointed the latest rekindling of that explosive summer at the SoCal beachfront venue.
To discuss the meeting – which runs through September 11 – the meeting TDN sat down with Josh Rubinstein, president of Club Del Mar Thoroughbred, who talked about pitch size, pocket bonuses, stability and a certain high-flying intern.
The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
TDN: Opening day was Friday with sold out and an impressive average yard size of 11 horses per lap. Not a bad way to start things off. What else can equestrians and racers expect this summer at Del Mar?
Josh Rubinstein: Last year, we obviously set a very high standard. We collect an average of $18.4 million in daily processing. [Total handle of $570,725,048 million saw] hundreds of millions of dollars more than the previous year. The pitch size is almost 8.5 runners per race. We are very optimistic about the upcoming meeting.
You mentioned that we are off to a great start. Open day card, there are 11 people starting each race. We are working with our partners at TOC [Thoroughbred Owners of California]. We featured a very active wallet program this summer with a daily average of more than $800,000 a day, which is not only a Del Mar record, but a California record. We also increase [purses] for 25 of our 39 shares for a Del Mar record of $8.6 million. There is a lot of good news.
TDN: You scale up the field, which has been a real headache lately in Santa Anita and frankly nationally and internationally. But Del Mar’s field size has traditionally been strong over the past few years. What are your expectations for this year’s meeting?
JR: We are fortunate to have a great racing division led by Tom Robbins [executive vice president of racing and industry relations] and [racing secretary] David Jerkens. They do an excellent job of communicating with our riders and female riders, not only in Del Mar, but throughout the year. We get feedback from our riders and women, and that goes into the kinds of races Dave and Tom include in the book.
As you know, a few years ago we created the Ship & Win program. I was talking about the record wallets we are offering – the Ship & Win offer is also a record this year. We are paying 50% wallet bonus on all no-stakes races and 40% on grass, plus first starter $5,000 and $4,000 on grass. So again, those are record deals.
When you look at our wallets this summer, our special women’s weight classes are $80,000. So an out-of-state horse is running for $125,000 for a Maiden Special Weight, which is pretty impressive.
The interesting thing about Ship & Win, more than 70% of the runners are from local boat owners and coaches. It’s all about our local owners and trainers going out to find horses and take them to California, that’s definitely the goal.
Last year we had over 300 Ship & Win ships departing Del Mar and most of those horses are still in service. So there are year-round benefits in Santa Anita and Los Alamitos, even in the north.
Tom and David did a great job in getting the word out there. David traveled quite a bit this spring to talk about Del Mar. We have 12 trainers – 12 out of state – who will be with us this summer with over 160 horses. Those trainers include Mike Maker, Jack Sisterson, and Robertino Diodoro. That’s a good list.
TDN: For several years now, Del Mar has maintained a good safety and welfare record for horses. Have you made any adjustments to that formula this year?
JR: It is always a work in progress. We regularly discuss with CHRB [California Horse Racing Board]Our Veterinarians, TOC and CTT [California Thoroughbred Trainers]make sure we have the safest environment possible at Del Mar.
While we pride ourselves on our safety designation – three years running the safest main track in the country as defined by the equine injury database – there is always more work to be done.
The positive is not only in Del Mar. In California, the number of deaths has dropped by 50% in the past two years. Santa Anita just ended a very safe winter, so we are clearly proud of the efforts that all stakeholders have made to make California a role model for safety and well-being. nationwide.
TDN: Regarding that, the race safety component of the Safety and Integrity Act (HISA) is currently in the works for several weeks. Does that affect your usual prep or business as usual?
JR: In California, we’ve done a lot of safety and welfare reform over the last few years, so there’s really not much – in terms of racing and training – not much has changed with HISA.
The big change – and I know it’s not always a smooth process – is the subscription component. All horses must be registered and then all individuals involved in the care of horse owners, trainers, veterinarians, and so on – must be registered with HISA. That is not always easy. We are trying to help when we can.
I can say that the HISA team, led by Lisa Lazarus, their CEO, has been very responsive. We have had several meetings with Lisa and her team over the past six months about HISA implementation.
We believe that, at the end of the day, HISA will make horse racing a better sport across the country. It will also be a competitive advantage for California as all states will now be required to comply with our safety and drug testing standards, beginning in 2023.
TDN: It’s well documented how the pandemic has severely affected Del Mar Fairgrounds’ financial health. While things may seem a bit paler for Fairgrounds than they were a few years ago, the added pressure is on how you at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club must perform, considering the road’s operations How is racing integrated?
JR: Look, horse racing is a hugely important component to the financial well-being of Del Mar Fairgrounds. As you know, in 2020, there are very, very few events other than horse racing. In 2021, a few events occurred but again, the positive financial impact of horse racing has really sustained the growth of the Fairgrounds.
But it’s not just the property – it’s the local community. There are many local businesses, hotels, restaurants, shops throughout Del Mar and Solana Beach, that actually rely on horse racing to stay afloat.
TDN: Now, let’s talk about the ever-green issue of stability in Southern California. In 2020, Del Mar invests over $11 million in an on-site wastewater treatment facility to potentially allow year-round stabilization. What is its current status?
JR: We have worked with industry stakeholders for both short-term and long-term planning for stability.
I can’t really say much about that, other than that, we can share details shortly. I’m very optimistic about the direction things are going – we seem to have a plan that everyone is behind, from the track to the owner, and we’ll continue to do that. At the moment I do not have permission to share any details.
TDN: And finally, are you particularly looking forward to any particular race or horse this summer?
JR: We are off to a great start. Anytime, as a track operator, you look at a night and your average pitch size is 11 runners, that’s our opening day card, it’s a great start. . From a betting standpoint, this is a competitive card as seen in California for a long time. And, of course, Flightline, must…
TDN: I was going to ask if there is a particular horse that starts with the letter “F.” are not.
JR: At the end of the day, I’m a racing fan like everyone else in this business. I don’t like horses like Spectacular Bid and Seattle Slew and VPĐK.
I know Flightline has a path to becoming that company. He’s run four times so far, but it’s pretty dynamic. Hopefully we’ll be lucky Flightline will be at Del Mar this year during the TVG Pacific Classic.
TDN: As a racecourse operator, what does it mean to have such a horse at your venue?
JR: That’s why you’re in business, yes, for those big events.
We’re lucky – we’ve got some great TVG Pacific Classics with California Chrome and Beholder and Shared Belief. Then, of course, go back to the first run of the Pacific Classic with Best Pal and when Dare and Go upset the Cigar.
It’s a race with a lot of history going back to the ’90s, but if you think about all the races I just mentioned, it has a pretty rich tradition. Hopefully we’ll be able to see a superstar like Flightline compete and add to that.
