Del Mar ups Friday post times over visibility concerns

Del Mar will have a first post time of 3:30 p.m. on Friday and on Aug. 18 after jockeys expressed concern about visibility in later races on recent Friday programs that began at 4 p.m., track officials said earlier this week.

First post time on the final three Fridays of the current summer meeting – Aug. 25, Sept. 1, and Sept. 8 – will be 3 p.m. to adjust for earlier sunsets in late summer.

Del Mar always changes first post times on Fridays in the second half of the summer meeting to account for earlier sunsets, but has made the adjustment a week earlier than originally planned.

Track officials met with a group of jockeys before the first race on Sunday to discuss visibility issues. During the first three Friday programs of the current meeting – July 21 and 28 and Aug. 4 - skies have been clear for the final races, leaving the riders looking into a low sun while racing at the end of the backstretch and into the turn.

An earlier start to Friday programs will leave the sun higher. So far, no Friday programs have been run under cloudy or even foggy conditions, which can sometimes occur because of the track’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean.

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