Del Mar alters first post times

Del Mar is altering first post times on Fridays beginning this weekend. Racing will begin at 3 p.m. Pacific instead of 4 p.m. through Sept. 6.

Later this month, the track is moving forward post times on other days. Beginning on Aug. 31, racing will start at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of the season on Sept. 8.

Earlier post times will allow the track to run additional races before sunset.

“Toward the end of the meeting, we have some challenges with sunlight,” track president Josh Rubinstein said on Wednesday. “We want to be consistent.”

A 1:30 p.m. first post on the weekend of Sept. 7-8, for example, will better suit an 11-race program than a start at 2 p.m., Rubinstein said.

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