Del Mar looking to expand ship-and-win program

Del Mar plans to maintain a five-day racing week this summer despite a decline in racing days and the number of starters per race at the current Santa Anita meeting.

Racing secretary David Jerkens said on Wednesday that the track is finalizing an expanded financial incentive program to lure horses to Del Mar this summer.

A formal announcement is expected in March on the incentives, which may include a purse increase and an expansion of the ship-and-win program, which provides bonuses for horses brought to California from other circuits, Jerkens said.

The ship-and-win bonus could be applicable for a horse’s first two starts at the summer meeting instead of the past format in which a bonus is paid only for prize money earned in the initial start, Jerkens said.

“We’ll be aggressive to make a five-day schedule work,” Jerkens said.

Del Mar’s 36-day meeting will be held over eight weekends, one more than in past years. For the first time in modern history, the track will open on a Saturday – July 18 – and not on a weekday.

There is no daytime racing in Southern California from the closing day of the Los Alamitos summer meeting on July 5 until the start of Del Mar, a chance for a brief rest period between meetings and for Del Mar to accrue revenue from simulcasting to help fund purses.

“I think there will be more enthusiasm for the start of Del Mar,” Jerkens said.

The track will have a two-day opening weekend and conduct five-day racing weeks from Wednesday through Sunday from July 22 through Aug. 23. There will be a four-day racing week from Aug. 27-30 and a five-day week to conclude the season from Sept. 3-7. In the past, the final week of the meeting was a six-day season.

Through Sunday, Santa Anita averaged 7.38 runners per race through the first 23 days of the season. During a similar period last year, the track had run 29 days and averaged 7.55 runners per race.

The pool of available horses in Southern California has decreased in the last year because of tougher medication and training protocols following a series of fatal injuries at Santa Anita in early 2019. Some stables have shipped horses to other circuits, notably Oaklawn Park. There is widespread concern among racing officials that there will be another decline in the horse population this spring when Keeneland and Churchill Downs conduct lucrative meetings.

Last summer, Del Mar averaged 7.99 runners per race compared to 8.69 at the 2018 summer meeting.

“I’m optimistic we can have the same schedule,” Jerkens said. “If things deteriorate in the next few months, we’ll adjust accordingly. We think we have a lot to offer.”