Del Mar Thoroughbred Club outlined its fall stakes schedule consisting of 16 stakes worth $2,250,000 and will be presented through its 15-day Bing Crosby Season, beginning Oct. 31.
Del Mar has added a pair of California-bred sprint stakes for juveniles that were not on its agenda the past two seasons.
Nine of the 16 fall stakes are graded; nine of the 16 stakes will be run on turf; seven of the stakes–all of them on grass–will be presented over the track's extended closing weekend which begins Thanksgiving Day, and continues through closing day Nov. 29.
“Given the current climate of things, we are very pleased to keep our fall stakes purse levels intact,” said David Jerkens, Del Mar's racing secretary. “The response to our summer racing program was exceptional. We are expecting similar results this fall. I am especially excited about our Thanksgiving stakes weekend, which has taken on national prominence.”
The track's two premier stakes will be presented on its closing weekend–the GI Hollywood Derby for 3-year-olds at nine furlongs Nov. 28 and GI Matriarch S. for fillies and mares at a mile Nov. 29. Additionally, closing weekend also will feature the GII Hollywood Turf Cup Nov. 27 and GII Seabiscuit H. Nov. 28.
Racing will be conducted Saturday and Sunday for opening weekend, then Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the next three weeks, finishing finally with a four-day week around Thanksgiving. First post daily will be 12:30 p.m. on all racing days with the exception of the track's special holiday card on Thanksgiving when racing begins at 11 a.m.
There will be six stakes offered for juveniles, including a trio of Grade IIIs–Bob Hope S. Nov. 15; Jimmy Durante S. Nov. 28, and Cecil B. DeMille S. Nov. 29.
For the complete stakes schedule, visit http://www.dmtc.com.
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