A
View From Inside
by Emily Hufford
As a casual fan and even as someone who works on the backside of the racetrack, I have no idea what goes into putting on a racemeet. I mean, sure, I know all about packing up tack, packing up horses, and preparing stalls for arrival, but I mean the real important stuff, which is readying a racetrack for the onslaught of fans.
Del Mar Racetrack is where I now work, and the meet opens one week from today. Long before the first horse enters the paddock on opening day, weeks and months of preparation has already been underway. I wish I could say, don't worry! We're ready! but that would be a lie. However, I get the feeling that every racemeet may be up to the last minute, because the amount of work that goes into it is overwhelming.
1,500 people will work on the frontside daily at Del Mar this summer, and that doesn't include any of the jockeys, trainers, and owners that will float through the gates, not to mention the grooms, exercise riders, and hotwalkers. None of them are here yet, but there is a large amount of people who are planting thousands of pots of flowers, painting every bench and walkway and railing, and did you know they spray and steam clean the concrete that will be walked on every day? The track itself is worked on twenty four hours a day in preparation for horses. Orientation is tomorrow for new employees. They will be learning how to treat customers well and make the Del Mar experience something each fan will never forget.
There is a man who is in charge of serving people in the press box. There are suites for celebreties that need to be cleaned and maintained. There are people whose job it is to sit and write features about Del Mar, and there are people to stuff envelopes. There are hundreds of security guards, caterers, and janitors, not to mention the devoted and cheerful crew of computer technicians that have to travel from the backside racing office to the frontside parimutuel booths to announcer Trevor Denman's box high above the grandstand.
There is a crew that works the phone lines, and a team that runs the website. A whole department is there to pay the employees, and another department to pay the horsemen. Someone has to come up with the promotions and giveaways, and someone else has to actually create the promotions and giveaways. There are the big shot executives who write legislature and proposals on how to save California horse racing, and their secretaries who do so much more than answer phones. There are people who write media guides and people who take entires; people who assign stalls and people who clean fountains. Someone has to construct the entry gates, and someone has to test the sound system and the fire alarms. Every security camera must be checked, and the tote board needs to be washed, painted, and in working order. All betting machines need to be tested, all future tellers need to be trained. Press must be invited, articles have to be written. There is one little man that I admire, who sits on a grass cutter for hours at a time, driving carefully around the turf course day after day.
It is with awe and marvel that I watch and learn from these people. Already they are exhausted, anxious, and excited in anticipation of opening day on July 20th. They really believe, and they are correct, that what they do will help to make this year's Del Mar season a success. I'll be there to cheer them on, will you?
7/13/2005
