Del Mar raises the curtain on 68th season

Polytrack will make its debut in front a large opening-day crowd (Alex Evers/Horsephotos.com) The jaunty refrain of Bing Crosby's "Where the Turf Meets the Surf" will once again resound through Del Mar on Wednesday, when the seaside track begins its 68th season of racing. While its theme song harkens back to days of yore, Del Mar's meet will usher in a new era. Racing will be conducted on the recently installed, $9 million Polytrack surface, and the electronic Trakus system will be in place for the first time to help fans follow their horses. Co-founded by Crosby and fellow Hollywood star Pat O'Brien, Del Mar will host 30 major stakes worth a record $7.25 million. Of these, 19 are graded, with seven receiving Grade 1 status, 10 Grade 2 and two Grade 3. Moreover, 12 overnight stakes will be offered, each with a purse of $85,000, for an additional $1.02 million in stakes monies.  The track's signature race is the $1 million Pacific Classic S. (G1) on August 19. The 17th edition of the 10-furlong test is expected to include defending champion LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew). In 2006, he became the first horse since the inception of the Pacific Classic in 1991 to sweep the Santa Anita H. (G1), Hollywood Gold Cup S. (G1) and the Pacific Classic in the same year. After capturing the Big 'Cap and Hollywood Gold Cup again this season, Lava Man could bid for another historic sweep. The Pacific Classic undercard will include a pair of graded stakes -- the $400,000 Del Mar Breeders' Cup Mile S. (G2) for turf horses, which has been moved up a week on the schedule, and the $300,000 Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup H. (G2) for sprinters going seven furlongs. All three of the graded stakes on Pacific Classic Day are part of the new Breeders' Cup Challenge program. Under the "Win and You're In" format, the winners of the Pacific Classic, Del Mar Breeders' Cup Mile and Pat O'Brien will earn automatic berths in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) and Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), respectively. The advertised stakes schedule reflects several changes. The $400,000 John C. Mabee H. (G1), a 1 1/8-mile event on the turf for fillies and mares, has been pushed back from its customary spot on opening weekend to August 4. In addition, the September 1 Palomar Breeders' Cup H. (G2) has received a $50,000 purse increase, making the grassy 1 1/16-mile test for distaffers worth $250,000. The August 31 El Cajon S. and September 2 Torrey Pines S. will each be $25,000 richer, and the one-mile contests for three-year-olds will now sport purses of $125,000.

The biggest change of all, of course, is the new synthetic surface. Del Mar

began installing Polytrack in January. The major portion of the project was

completed by the end of April, but more wax and fibers have been added to the

mix recently to help its consistency. The track opened for training last

Thursday.

Another new feature is Trakus. Already in use at Keeneland and Woodbine, the

system electronically follows the horses in a race and presents different

animated views of their progress on the track's infield video board. All runners

carry a transmitter in their saddlecloths so their exact location can be

followed. Using real-time, in-motion graphics, Trakus displays that information

on two large screens, one offering an animated horse race and the other a

numbered "chicklet" version of the same thing. Del Mar's website, dmtc.com, will

also feature Trakus information, including exact distances all horses have run

in each race.

History will be made in another way on Wednesday when the Oceanside S., the

traditional opening-day feature, will be run in three divisions for the first

time. The ever-popular contest,

for three-year-olds at one mile on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, has been run

in two divisions for the past 18 years. Considered

the initial local prep for the $400,000 Del Mar Derby (G2) on September 2, each

Oceanside division will carry a purse of $75,000.

The first division will serve as the meet's opening event. Top contenders in

the nine-horse field include three imports who will be making their American

debuts -- unbeaten Italian stakes hero MEN'S MAGAZINE (Ity) (Dr Devious [Ire]);

TEN A PENNY (Gulch), who compiled a four-for-five mark in England; and KARAZI (Swi)

(Arazi), last seen winning at Saint-Cloud.

The second division has attracted 10 sophomores. TYCOON DOBY (Cherokee Run)

is coming off a third-place effort in the Cinema Breeders' Cup H. (G3), while

Group 3-placed GWEEBARRA (GB) (Lomitas [GB]) captured an allowance in his U.S.

premiere. The consistent LAW BREAKER (Silver Deputy) will be returning to action

for the first time since February, when he just missed in the San Vicente S.

(G2).

Ten hopefuls will also line up in the third division, with Grade 3-placed

VAUQUELIN (Ire) (Xaar) shaping up as a major threat. Also notable are MAYOR

BOZARTH (Deputy Commander) and YARIO (Ire) (Danehill Dancer), the respective

third and fifth-place finishers from the Will Rogers S. (G3).

The meet's traditional closing-day feature, the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity

(G1), has been restored to Grade 1 status. The seven-furlong prize for juveniles

is slated for September 5. Other top-level contests are the $400,000 Eddie Read

H. (G1) at nine furlongs over the turf on July 22, the $300,000 Bing Crosby H.

(G1) at six furlongs on July 29, the $400,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1) for

three-year-old fillies traveling 1 1/8 grassy miles on August 18, and the

$250,000 Del Mar Debutante S. (G1) for juvenile fillies at seven furlongs on

September 3.

Doug O'Neill returns to defend his 2006 training crown and try for his third

title in four years. Seven-time

titlist Bob Baffert and Hall of Famers Ron McAnally, Bobby Frankel, Neil

Drysdale, Richard Mandella and Jack Van Berg are also on the trainers' roster.

Jockey Victor Espinoza will try to become the first since Bill Shoemaker to

win three straight riding titles at the seashore. The jockey colony also boasts former

riding champs Corey Nakatani (three titles), Alex

Solis (two) and David Flores, as well as hot young riders Michael Baze and Joe

Talamo, who filled the top two spots in the jockeys' standings at Hollywood

Park's Spring/Summer Meet.

While the equine athletes are the focal point day in and day out, they will

have to share the spotlight on opening day with the "One and Only Truly Fabulous

Hats Contest," which features a parade of spectacular, and sometimes

spectacularly wild, millinery.

The hat bash is just one of several special events on Del Mar's seven-week

calendar. Among the others are "Daybreak at Del Mar" on all weekends and the

closing day's popular "Party in the Paddock." The track hosts concerts every

Friday evening, and two major Saturday shows are scheduled. Headlining the

infield beach party on August 4 is The Cult, the legendary alternative rock

band, while Ziggy Marley is the main draw at the Reggae Festival on August 25.

The 43-day meet continues through September 5, with no racing on Tuesdays.

Regular post time is 2 p.m. (PDT), except for Four O'Clock Fridays. Racing kicks

off at 4 p.m. on the first four Fridays of the meet (July 20 and 27 and August 3

and 10), but that switches to 3:30 p.m. for the last three Fridays (August 17,

24 and 31). There will also be a special 1 p.m.

start on August 19, Pacific Classic Day.