Meet the Expert: Horse Racing
An interview with Erin Bailey, Director of Marketing at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
Happy fall, Readers.
Autumn is an excellent season, the best some might say. The fashion is on point, my autumnal color palette of moss, creamy yellows, oranges, brown, navy, and beige is lovely to work with DoD and the temperatures are comfortable in most every zip code. In addition to being a wonderful time of year, fall also ushers in one of my favorite traditions in San Diego, the Bing Crosby Season1 at the Del Mar Racetrack.
If you subscribe to
, have read any of our recent newsletters or happen to be acquainted with me, you will be familiar with the Del Mar Racetrack. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, or DMTC, is my local racetrack here in San Diego, California, located in Del Mar (obviously) and quite near the town I grew up in2. I have been visiting, driving past and walking to the track from 23rd St. beach as long as I can remember. It is fused into my North County coastal DNA3, and I like it that way. I am proud to have grown up with DMTC and to be part of the community it is today.Del Mar is not only a racetrack, it is living history4.
Stepping back in time, it was 1936 and the Del Mar Racetrack was being built. The venture was an idea come to life by La Jolla local, William Quigley5, who pitched the idea to Bing Crosby after Santa Anita Racetrack opened in December of 1934. Our boy Bing loved the idea - good thing, or we wouldn’t be chatting today - and stepped forward as founding leader.
After agreeing Del Mar needed a race track, Bing and Quigley founded the Del Mar Turf Club on May 6, 1936 and opened the track in August of 1937. On opening day, Bing Crosby was at the gates greeting visitors personally, with his signature pipe.
From the moment it opened, Del Mar was it. In its second season, on August 12, 1938, the racetrack played host to a winner-take-all race between Seabiscuit6 - yes, that Seabiscuit - and Ligaroti7. The race purse was $25k8 and Seabiscuit won by a nose. Given its proximity to Los Angeles and founding leadership, it quickly became a Hollywood destination, welcoming the likes of, Lucille Ball & her hubby Desi A., Frank Sinatra and Hedy Lamar - fast forward to the 21st century even the boys of Entourage hit Del Mar among many other contemporary celeb faces9.
If you have not yet visited Del Mar, this is your sign. Stepping into the seaside oval campus is like time travel. Part of Del Mar’s magic is its history and location, old Hollywood and equestrian royalty mix together in the most unexpected of places: the warm, salty SoCal beach. One local San Diegan might be at Dog Beach playing volleyball while the other (me) is up in the Turf Club dressed for the occasion and spying on the ponies with opera glasses - the next day they switch places. That malleability between the cool coastal living offered by Del Mar and coastal San Diego coupled with the effortless elegance of the track. This, this, is the magic of Del Mar: somehow it maintains its tether with the world of the past while cooly keeping to its relaxed, seaside roots10.
Given the above Ode to Del Mar and my local-love for the place, when it came to connecting with an Expert in horse racing they had to be from - you guessed it - the Del Mar family.
Without further ado, I give you Meet the Expert: Horse Racing, a conversation between me, Lauren Lynch Wemple, from
and Erin Bailey, Director Marketing at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.Enjoy the read, and subscribe below to receive all of our Expert conversations direct to your inbox.
LLW: To start, would you share a bit of background on yourself? And when did your career in horse racing begin?
EB: My name is Erin Bailey and I'm the Director of Marketing at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. My background is in Advertising and I spent the first 20 years of my career working on brands such as Honda, Cracker Barrel, the Tennessee Education Lottery and SDG&E. I started working with Del Mar in 2007 - as their Advertising Account Manager and took over as the Director of Marketing in 2022.
LLW: How long have you been at Del Mar? What makes it such a special track and place?
EB: I've officially been a Del Mar employee for two years, but I've been working as an extension of their marketing team since 2007. The thing that makes it special is that it is a community and a family. It's a place where everyone's role is valued and respected. People work here for their entire careers. I left my advertising job in 2020 to raise my three children and there's no other place that could have pulled me back into the workforce other than Del Mar. It's just a joy to be a part of the DMTC team. The gorgeous setting doesn't hurt either!
LLW: Would you pull back the curtain on the management of Del Mar? It must be cumbersome to manage the behind the scenes race logistics as well as deliver on an unforgettable visitor experience. How does your team approach this?
EB: It certainly takes a knowledgeable team to put each meet together. If you look around at Del Mar's management team, almost everyone has been here for decades. If you look at our partner agencies, you'll see an incredible longevity there, as well. I think of it like a sports team that's played together for a large part of their careers - you know who to rely on for what outcome, you know how to work your responsibilities into the partnership. If one person needs something, there's no hesitation on who to reach out to and how to get it done. We all know each other incredibly well, and we trust and support each other -- which allows us to make the Del Mar experience top notch.
LLW: What are your goals for Del Mar in the coming 5 years? Any hopes for the sport of horse racing in general?
EB: As the Director of Marketing, my goals are to continue to showcase the world-class racing that we are known for, while also ensuring that the on-track experience always leaves people wanting to return. Year after year, we host celebrities, athletes and global influencers. My goal is to maintain that "see and be seen" atmosphere that drives attendance and repeat visitors.
LLW: Horse racing has a long history globally, and there are many traditions associated with the sport. What is your favorite tradition at Del Mar?
EB: Without question, my favorite day of the year is Opening Day of the Summer meet. Always in mid-July, we call it the "unofficial start to summer." The people, the fashion, the hats, the world-class racing -- it all comes together on our sold out season opener for an epic party. Our hats contest has been running for over 20 years and while I'm not a big hat wearer, I love seeing all the hats on Opening Day. All eyes are on Del Mar every Opening Day and we usually see over 100 broadcast TV hits with coverage on track starting at 4 a.m. and ending late into the evening. There's no energy quite like the Opening Day energy and while it's exhausting, it's without a doubt my favorite Del Mar tradition.
LLW: What would be your advice to those who have never attended a horse race. If our readers wanted to visit Del Mar, when would you recommend doing so?
EB: First of all, plan to spend the day here. In the summer, most days our gates open around noon and first post is at 2 p.m. and we'll race until 6:30 or 7 p.m. Most Saturdays during the summer, we host lifestyle events while the races are happening -- everything from a wine festival to a themed event such as "Tacos and Tequila" or a "Taste of New Orleans." One of my favorite things to do as a visitor is to book at trackside table, which is yours for the day, and to eat lunch or dinner trackside while enjoying racing. It's fun to walk around the grandstands or to visit the paddock and see the horses preparing for the race ahead. If you've never been to Del Mar, our summer meet can't be beat.
Our Bing Crosby Season in the fall is quite a different experience. The days are shorter and cooler and it feels like a more local scene in the fall. We'll be hosting the Breeders' Cup World Championships in November 2024 (for the third time!) and that's always an incredible event to kick off our Bing Crosby Season.
LLW: Last, I would be remiss to not inquire as to your most memorable race or horse come across in your career. Any that stand out? And are there specific events you are looking forward to?
EB: Absolutely. I'll never forget seeing Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita11. She was a magnificent horse. Just stunning. In the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic, she was the only female horse running against an all-male group. The crowd was holding pink 'Go Zenyatta' signs and she came from the back of the pack to win in one of the most amazing races I've seen. I was thrilled to see her stay undefeated and to see her do what no female horse had ever done. She is still to this day the only female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. The other race that I'll never forget was at Del Mar during the 2022 Pacific Classic, when Flightline won by 19 1/4 lengths and barely even looked like he was trying. That was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen -- or likely will ever see. Finally, I am looking forward to DMTC hosting the Breeders' Cup World Championships (the Super Bowl of horse racing!) for the third time in November 2024!
Thank you, Erin, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club team for connecting with
and pulling back the curtain on life at Del Mar. In our conversation, the DMTC team noted it took approximately 950 team members12 to keep the daily magic at the track magical during the 2023 summer season.Gobsmacked.
Sporting events, particularly Equestrian sports, take a village, however the idea that about 1,000 people, during the racing season, wake up each morning, prepare their minds and bodies and commute to our local seaside race place to work with horses, trainers, jockeys and greet and care for spectators is incredibly impressive. When a village of different people, from different places and backgrounds all come together for a joint purpose, at that point of congregation we find passion and purpose. For an interesting perspective on the team behind Del Mar and how they care for their own read this recent article from the San Diego Union Tribune about the Track’s commitment to feeding all of their team members each working day during the season.
To all those who give their energy, laughter, working hours and perhaps snoozing hours to Del Mar, a place beloved in history and lauded around the world for its commitment to horse racing excellence: Our hats go off to you.
Subscribe to 21st & 19th to join me next week for a continued focus on horses, with What I’m Obsessed With (WIOW): Polo.
Until then, stay cool & press go on Bing Crosby radio on Spotify.
Cheers,
LLW
Bing Crosby Season is the second annual racing season at Del Mar, this year it begins Friday, November 10 and if you’re keen the stakes scheduled will be live, here
Become a Patron and I’ll give you more details in our Patrons only Slack group
Right alongside my unconditional love of Vans and tube socks, incurable inclusion of ‘guys’ and ‘totally’ in my vocabulary as well as an insatiable love of fresh flour tortillas
Quigley was General Manager of the racetrack until his death at age 49 in 1942
Charles S. Howard was the owner of Seabiscuit, and I recently visited their home, Ridgewood Ranch, in Mendocino County, CA. Spoiler: It is no longer owned by the Howard family and is an odd place, but still historical!
A colt owned by Binglin Stable
$25,000 in 1938 is equivalent to $533,032 in 2023
Del Mar’s 21st century motto is ‘Cool as Ever’
This total does not include backside workers, food service workers or mutuel clerks