DEL MAR : Indicators Point to Breeders’ Cup Bid

Buoyed by a meeting during which average total handle and track attendance took significant upturns, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is looking at the possibility of holding the Breeders’ Cup races in 1997.

“We have been having preliminary discussions,” said Joe Harper, president and general manager. “But there are still things which need to be done.”

Although Breeders’ Cup day is national in scope, the hurdles Del Mar must overcome are much closer to home, Harper said.

“The starting points are Santa Anita and the California Horse Racing Board,” he said.

Harper’s preliminary discussions have focused on how to cope with the fact that the Breeders’ Cup is run in early November, when Santa Anita has the racing dates in Southern California. He has talked to both Santa Anita and the CHRB about how this obstacle might be overcome, such as swapping racing dates for that season.

“There’s a lot to do, but this would be a great place for the Breeders’ Cup,” Harper said. “The location is nice. There are tons of new hotels in the area. There are things to do. And we have a lot of VIP space here at the track, such as luxury and sky boxes and a large Turf Club.”

Wednesday marks the end of Del Mar’s second meeting since the completion of an $81-million project that was as much a rebuilding as a renovation. Seating was expanded to 14,000 and Harper said more seating, particularly box seating, is being added each year. Seating capacity, he said, could be temporarily boosted to 20,000 for a Breeders’ Cup.

Through the weekend’s racing, Del Mar’s average daily track attendance was up 8.8% and average total handle, including off-track, was up 23.4%. The biggest increase in terms of handle was a 55.6% jump in out-of-state handle, mainly because of additional outlets.

It would seem surprising, therefore, that on-track handle was down 1.1% and per capita track betting was down 5.8%.

“On-track attendance reflects the health of the game to me,” Harper said. “It means our promotions are working and we’re getting new players. New players don’t bet as much and that shows in per capita being down. That’s fine. We want the new faces.”

Del Mar tried a number of first-time promotional events, such as “Wild Fridays” with rock bands, the Fiesta Del Mar with a Latin theme, a cap giveaway that led to a record-breaking opening-day crowd of 34,697, jockey camera days and one Friday twilight program, at which attendance increased 50% over previous comparable dates.

“We’d be nuts not to try that again,” Harper said. “Our biggest enemy here is sundown, so we’d have to do it early in the season. Maybe nine races the first Friday, eight the second and seven the third.”

Sundown will be an enemy Wednesday when Del Mar closes the meeting with a 10-race card. Any extraordinary delay earlier in the card would bring the sun down before the meet actually ends.

Horse Racing Notes

Miss Dominique, ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, made her move at the top of the stretch and held off 2-5 favorite Phone Chatter in winning Monday’s Vieille Vigne Handicap. . . . Sal Gonzales Jr., the nation’s top apprentice rider last year, has left Del Mar and will resume riding at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. . . . Laffit Pincay Jr. will be honored in his native Panama on Sunday. Accompanying him will be fellow jockeys Alex Solis, Martin Pedroza, Kent Desormeaux, Chris Antley, Jacinto Vasquez, Walter Guerra and Jorge Velasquez.