The Del Mar Turf Membership has constructed its status on the equine celebrities which have graced this seaside racetrack since its 1937 opening, with names like Seabiscuit, American Pharoah, and Zenyatta among the many winners of its signature races. Positioned 75 miles from Los Angeles, the observe’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and Southern California’s idyllic local weather has additionally made Del Mar a vacation spot for famed actors, musicians, and extra all through the many years.
Based by actor/singer Bing Crosby and businessman William Quigley, Del Mar has capitalized on its Hollywood connections and constructed a playground match for racing followers of all stripes, every looking for the prospect to take pleasure in a day “the place the turf meets the surf.”
Sunny Begins
The historical past of movie in the USA originates not in California, however in late 19th century New York, Chicago, and New Jersey, the place Thomas Edison and others created each filmmaking and sound know-how that gave rise to this new artform.
These extra developed areas proved to have fewer benefits for early movement image studios, who then sought areas with ample house and labor, perfect climate, and a wide range of landscapes. The world round Los Angeles had all of these benefits and shortly turned synonymous with this new trade.
Horse racing in California started many years earlier, with the primary racetrack constructed at Pleasanton in 1858, however a 1909 playing ban chilled the game and compelled the closure of racetracks like Elias “Fortunate” Baldwin’s Santa Anita close to Los Angeles. Racing survived on a small scale due to a sequence of honest conferences till 1933 when the state authorized pari-mutuel wagering as a method of producing tax income throughout the Nice Despair. That cleared the way in which for a brand new Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. to open Christmas Day 1934. Bay Meadows and a revamped Tanforan quickly adopted, increasing the game into Northern California.
With its proximity to Hollywood and the movie and musical expertise that referred to as Los Angeles residence, Santa Anita Park attracted its share of celebrities, together with Bing Crosby, the singer and actor finest identified for films like “White Christmas” and the “Street To” movie sequence with comic Bob Hope. Quickly, Bing’s curiosity in racing led him to construct a steady of his personal and impressed him to take his curiosity within the sport to a brand new degree.
Well-known Associates
William Quigley had constructed on his time as a soccer participant and coach and developed a profitable profession as a stockbroker primarily based in La Jolla, Calif. His love for horse racing led to a part-time job as a steward at Santa Anita Park, the place he met Crosby. The nascent race meets on the newly constructed Del Mar Fairgrounds close to San Diego gave Quigley an thought: why not construct a contemporary racetrack à la Santa Anita simply yards from the Pacific Ocean?
Quigley approached Crosby together with his thought and shortly not solely was the famed crooner within the proposition however so had been a number of of his well-known associates.
The inaugural board of the Del Mar Turf Membership included Crosby, Quigley, actor Pat O’Brien (“Angels With Soiled Faces”; “Knute Rockne, All American”), comic Oliver Hardy (of the movie duo Laurel and Hardy), actor/director Lloyd Bacon, and Bing’s brother Everett.
Over the following yr, extra acquainted faces joined the hassle, together with actor Gary Cooper, vaudeville star Joe E. Brown, Oscar winner Clark Gable, dancer George Raft, Seabiscuit’s proprietor Charles Howard and his son Lindsey.
Regardless of the star energy behind the venture, funding for the brand new observe was sluggish in coming; Crosby spent a lot of 1936 elevating cash whereas additionally recording new music and starring within the movie “Pennies from Heaven.” Although the board raised sufficient to signal the $100,000 lease for the observe’s location in December 1936, each O’Brien and Crosby needed to put up $600,000 towards their very own life insurance coverage insurance policies to make sure that development would proceed with a purpose of opening in early July 1937.
A Star-Studded Story
A day on the races is an opportunity to socialize as a lot as it’s a sporting occasion, so attracting their superstar associates was a chunk of cake for the well-known names behind the brand new racetrack.
On July 3, 1937, Bing Crosby himself manned Del Mar’s foremost gate for opening day, welcoming within the 15,000 available for that first card. Actress Barbara Stanwyck offered the trophy for the Inaugural Handicap whereas Oliver Hardy served as honorary steward. Actresses Bette Davis and Una Merkel shared a desk within the clubhouse and Bing’s pal Bob Hope joined vaudeville legends Joe Frisco and Jimmy Durante and comic Pink Skelton for a night program celebrating California’s latest racing hub.
Even with all of that star energy behind it, Del Mar wanted time to search out its footing. Crosby partnered with songwriters Jimmy Monaco and Johnny Burke to create the track “The place the Turf Meets the Surf” as a advertising instrument for the seaside racing venue in 1938. The observe additionally capitalized on its Hollywood connections with occasions like Movement Image Day that very same yr. The day’s card featured races named for the movie trade, together with the Screenwriters, the Cameramen, and the Administrators Stakes. Screenwriter and frequent Frank Capra collaborator Robert Riskin received the Movement Image Handicap with Dogaway, whereas Clark Gable and spouse Carole Lombard, whose personal stardom dated again to the silent period, had been second with Claracole.
Over the many years since its 1937 opening, Del Mar has performed host to an extended checklist of famed actors, musicians, and extra. Lucy and Desi Arnaz had been usually seen within the clubhouse having fun with a day on the races. Burt Bacharach indulged his love of horses together with second spouse, Angie Dickinson, whereas “Nationwide Velvet” and “The Black Stallion” star Mickey Rooney would fly his Piper Cub from Los Angeles to San Diego to soak up a race or two. Display siren Betty Grable stated that one benefit of shopping for a home on the seashore at Del Mar was that she had quick access to the close by racetrack. Barbara Stanwyck’s fondness for the game led her to purchase a close-by ranch, the place she bred Thoroughbreds all through the Forties.
With the Breeders’ Cup returning to Del Mar as soon as once more in 2024, these two days of championship racing aren’t solely an opportunity to observe the equine celebrities on the observe but additionally a chance to identify a number of well-known names within the stands as nicely, a preferred pastime “the place the turf meets the surf.”
