Del Mar named host for 2024

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup twoday event will be held at Del Mar, marking the third time the seaside track will have served as the host, the Breeders’ Cup announced on Thursday.

The selection of Del Mar for the 2024 event will create a two-year swing through Southern California, a location where the weather is generally mild in the fall. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., approximately 120 miles north of Del Mar, on Nov. 3-4.

Del Mar and other tracks with small geographic footprints were routinely passed over as host sites in the early years of the Breeders’ Cup, which was inaugurated in 1984, but over the past 10 years, Breeders’ Cup has taken advantage of temporary seating structures and restricted ticket sales to create exclusive atmospheres at tracks with heavy local support, such as Keeneland in Lexington.

Del Mar first hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2017, and it was selected as the host site again for 2021.

“Breeders’ Cup has always been a strong supporter of California racing, and we look forward to showcasing this wonderful venue once again to our horsemen and fans from around the world,” said Drew Fleming, the chief executive of Breeders’ Cup, in a release.

In 2017, Del Mar had attendance of 32,728 on the Friday card of the Breeders’ Cup and 37,692 on the Saturday card. In 2021, under pandemic restrictions, Del Mar had attendance of 20,536 on Friday and 26,553 on Saturday. In both cases, Breeders’ Cup limited ticket sales and erected luxury temporary seating areas for the event.

The 2024 event will be held on Nov. 1-2. In the release, Breeders’ Cup said that “planning is already underway to bring the best of racing and hospitality to visiting fans, horsemen, and San Diego/Del Mar area locals alike.”

Del Mar, which opened in 1937, is located just steps from the beach, and its backdrop of the La Jolla hills makes for an attractive television product. For decades, the track held a single meet in the summer, but after the closing of Hollywood Park in the L.A. area in 2013, the track inaugurated a brief late fall meet that has been held annually since 2014.

“We’re excited for the return of Breeders’ Cup to Del Mar in 2024,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar’s president. “The prestige of the event combined with our venue’s iconic, seaside setting makes for an extraordinary weekend.”