Del Mar, 7/20
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Del
Mar Days, 7/20
by Emily Hufford I wish I could write that opening day was one of the biggest thrills of my life and that I wish to do it every year, but that would be lying. Opening Day was chaotic, stressful, and at times miserable. The heat bore down upon the famous hat contest where hundreds of people signed up to be in the Parade of Hats and win very nice prizes such as a spa for their home. Then, around the time for the first division of the Oceanside Stakes, droplets of rain began to fall and a chilly breeze swept through the track. It was very strange, indeed. That's not to say that it was all bad. At 7:00 when I arrived, the dirt parking lot was already packed with cars and people were lining up outside the gates. At 11:15 the gates officially opened to the delight of the big crowd outside. A person is intelligent, but people can be highly entertaining. Some of my favorites were, "Where can I buy a program around here!?" from a woman standing next to the program stand, and also people in shorts and t-shirts that were arguing with management over why they weren't allowed in the prestigious Turf Club. By the time Becrux entered the paddock for the first division of the Oceanside Stakes, I was so ready to go home and go to bed. The Italian-bred colt was physically imposing and at one point bolted out of his saddling stall, forelegs in the air. He won impressively. |
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 Grandstand and Paddock on Opening Day © Emily Hufford 2005 |
I must have been hurting, because I made my way to my car (took half an hour to find it, and then 45 minutes to get to the freeway), before the second division of the Oceanside Stakes. I liked El Roblar in the race, and figured that if he won I would be sad if I missed it, but I'd be a lot more unhappy if I stayed and he lost when I could have been driving the 30 miles that took two hours back home.
However, I will always have the memory of my first Del Mar Opening Day race. I was standing in the press box high above the crowd when announcer Trevor Denman cried, "There's the roar from the crowd!" as the gates opened. You always hear about this special roar when the Del Mar season gets underway, so I was eager to experience that for myself. I actually got goosebumps on my arms and felt a little tug of emotions when the field thundered by below. That is one experience I would never trade away.
