Del
Mar Days,
7/22 - 7/23
by Emily Hufford
Amorama Wins the John C. Mabee at Del Mar ©
Patty Yount 2005
 The Impressive Filly Mystery Girl © Patty Yount 2005 |
Friday was a blur of activity and excitement, and it was overwhelming. The concert on Friday night drew what seemed to be about a million people, although supposedly it was only 30-something thousand. I was assigned to the gate crew and the patrol judges. The patrol judges have a difficult and underestimated job, in my opinion. They climb high onto towers above the track and watch through binoculars for any shift in the horses that might lead to interference. |
When horses are running at you around the far turn into the stretch, and the grandstand is roaring and the tower is shaking, this can be a little scary, especially since at some point you need to drop your binoculars and watch the horses under you with your own eyes - but in that split second, you might miss something.
The best tower was the 3/8 pole tower. You have an unobstructed view of the backstretch and most of the starts of the races, and also of the grandstand looming out of the ground like a great, vast monolith. When you're in the grandstand, it can be loud, but it will never prepare you for the shockwaves of sound that splash over the track, not limited by walls or anything else. It's almost as if you can see the soundwave coming at you, and it suddenly hits with a deafening roar.
Even more intense, if that is possible, is working with the gate crew. To them, it is nothing to be excited about. They walk over to the gate a few minutes before the race is supposed to go off, the horses are assigned to each person, and then one by one they load. In the grandstand it can seem to take forever, but when you're standing in a stall it is only a moment, and then there is a crash that makes the gate tremble and the world shakes as horses spring from their stalls. I was standing in the #10 stall (it was empty of horses), and I'll never forget when the #9 horse looked at me when the gates opened; it was like I could feel the fire coming from every muscle in his body as he shoved off the ground.
 Handsome Two-Year-Old Colt Old Thunder © Patty Yount 2005 |
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 Castledale Schools © Patty Yount 2005 |
 Choctaw Nation Schools © Patty Yount 2005 |
Saturday was a day of good, quality racing. Amorama won the John C. Mabee Handicap, returning to the scene of her Del Mar Oaks victory of a year ago. The other stakes race was the Fleet Treat Stakes, which was won by Soldier's Kiss. The most impressive victory of the day, however, was from two-year-old filly Mystery Girl, who absolutely exploded to win her race. She looked extremely powerful although she hadn't impressed me in the paddock, I won't be making that mistake again.
