Plaque commemorating Del Mar greats to be unveiled in downtown plaza

DEL MAR, Calif. -- A commemorative plaque that lists many of the all-time great runners to have competed at Del Mar will be unveiled Thursday night, following the races, at the downtown Del Mar Plaza, located at the northeast corner of Pacific Coast Highway and 15th Street.

The plaque, to be displayed on the upper level of the plaza, will be unveiled during a ceremony lasting for one hour, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.

There are 72 horses named on the plaque, beginning with Accelerate and ending, of course, with Zenyatta, and including Pacific Classic winners such as Best Pal, Beholder, California Chrome, and Lava Man, champion mares Bayakoa and Paseana, the brilliant sprinter Kona Gold, track record holder Precisionist, and legends from the past like Native Diver, Quicken Tree, and Seabiscuit.

The plaque, privately funded, was the brainchild of Marla Zanelli, a local real estate agent and former exercise rider.