Del Mar press box to be named in honor of Dan Smith

Del Mar’s press box on Saturday will be named in honor of Dan Smith, the track’s longtime publicist and marketing chief who retired last year. The dedication was postponed from last summer owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smith, 84, lives nearby in Encinitas, where he and his family relocated from the Los Angeles area after he took a full-time job at Del Mar in 1975 following a stint as Santa Anita’s publicity director. At Del Mar, Smith was part of a team that oversaw the track’s transformation to one of the leading tracks in the country, including construction of a modernized grandstand in the early 1990s, and, with it, the track’s now-signature race, the Pacific Classic, which he named.

As marketing director, Smith was at the forefront of attracting fans to the track with concerts, beginning with jazz musicians near and dear to his heart. He also organized the Rocking Chair Derby, analogous to an old-timers race for jockeys. He helped turn opening day at Del Mar into a blockbuster social and racing event, and helped institute the popular 4 o’clock Friday programs.

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In concert with Willie Shoemaker, Smith in 1971 authored “The Shoe,” a biography of the legendary rider. Nationally recognized for his encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, Smith for years was part of the notes team at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, and beginning in 1984 was a researcher for NBC’s Breeders’ Cup team, assisting his close friend and fellow San Diego resident Dick Enberg, and, later, Tom Hammond when he moved into the host chair.