Del Mar Racecourse will open its Del Mar Bing Crosby Season on Friday, November 6, with a strong lineup of leading jockeys and trainers set to compete during the 13th edition of the fall meeting. The season will feature racing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with the first race scheduled for 12:30 PM daily, except Thanksgiving Day, November 26, when racing will begin at 11:00 AM.
The fall meeting will bring several changes to the jockey colony. Jamie Spencer will join the riding ranks after Antonio Fresu moved to the East Coast. Spencer, who has built an international reputation, will add experience to the competitive field.
Juan Hernandez, Joel Rosario and Umberto Rispoli will headline the returning jockeys. Hernandez will arrive after winning another riding title at Santa Anita and securing his first Breeders’ Cup victory. Rosario will aim to add the fall title to his summer success, while Rispoli will seek to defend his Bing Crosby Season riders’ championship.
Emisael Jaramillo, Kazushi Kimura, Hector I. Berrios and Armando Ayuso will also return. Hall of Fame riders Mike Smith, Kent Desormeaux and Victor Espinoza will bring further experience to the meeting. Flavien Prat could also make appearances during the FanDuel Racing Turf Festival.
Doug O’Neill will lead the trainers after winning the summer title at Del Mar and the Autumn Meet championship at Santa Anita. Bob Baffert, John Sadler and Philip D’Amato will also return.
George Papaprodromou, last season’s leading trainer during the Bing Crosby Season, will defend his title against Peter Miller, Mark Glatt, Michael McCarthy and Leonard Powell. Hall of Fame trainers Richard Mandella, Neil Drysdale and Jerry Hollendorfer will also feature in the competition.
Jonathan Thomas will be a notable addition to the training ranks. The Kentucky-based trainer will return with a strong group of runners after recording graded stakes success at Del Mar in previous seasons.
Several leading out-of-town trainers, including Chad Brown, Graham Motion, Brad Cox, Brendan Walsh, Wesley Ward, Saffie Joseph and Miguel Clement, could also send runners to the meeting. Todd Pletcher may also target a graded stakes victory at the seaside track.
Del Mar Bing Crosby Season Focuses on Turf Racing
The Jimmy Durante Turf Course will remain central to the fall meeting. Del Mar’s turf team, led by superintendent John Beggin, will continue maintenance work following the summer season.
The team will repair damaged areas through coring, replace affected grass and apply fertiliser to encourage recovery. UV turf blankets will also be used when necessary to support growth.
During the meeting, the crew will rotate the rail position after each racing day to help manage wear and maintain the condition of the course.
The eight-race opening-day programme will feature 82 entries, including 10 runners in the $100,000 Let It Ride Stakes, scheduled as Race 6. The number of horses on the grounds will continue to increase as trainers prepare their runners for the opening weekend.
Del Mar Bing Crosby Season will open on November 6 with leading jockeys, established trainers and a strong focus on turf racing.
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