Sorry, East Coast racing fans: Del Mar stands taller than Saratoga
East Coast racing fans who boast that Saratoga is the Holy Grail of summer racing better think again. The debate on Twitter whether Del Mar or Saratoga is the place to be was contentious. Probably about 65-35 in favor of Saratoga.
But the numbers don't back that up. Not by a long shot. There's no debating the fact Del Mar enjoyed a much better 2022 meet than Saratoga when it averaged 9.14 horses per race during its 31-day meet, a figure that's unheard of these days.
This year, if early results are an indication, Del Mar is kicking Saratoga's rear end again. Yes, it's early, but East Coast fans are finding out in a hurry that California is not the only circuit that sometimes has trouble filling fields. The numbers don't lie: Through the first four days this summer, Del Mar is averaging 9.85 horses per race. Again, a figure you just don't see nowadays. Saratoga? It's averaging 8.3 horses per race. That's a significant difference.
Let's turn to the stakes races, where California always gets a bad rap. So far, Del Mar, the track Saratoga racegoers love to bash for supposedly short fields, is averaging 11.2 starters per race. That's unheard of.
Here's the kicker —
Saratoga is averaging 5.6 horses per stakes race. Two of its premier events, the Diana and Coaching Club American Oaks, drew five horses, as did Saturday's Jim Dandy Stakes. The Vanderbilt drew seven.
Del Mar's strong showing in stakes events is not limited to the first four days. Today's Daisycutter Handicap drew a field of 11. Saturday's San Diego Handicap includes 10 horses and the Bing Crosby Stakes drew a field of 12. The Eddie Read Stakes on Sunday includes nine horses.
Saratoga has had two three-horse fields this summer. Del Mar's shortest field since the opener on July 21 was six horses.
Only once last summer, when Del Mar was hit by rain, did it average fewer than eight horses per race. Races were taken off the turf that day, and horse players love wagering on grass races.
Do we even have to talk about the weather? I didn't think so. I'll take 72 degrees and an ocean breeze over anything Saratoga has to offer. That's a no-brainer.
Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens, for one, is tired of California being criticized for short stakes fields. Can't blame him when you look at the numbers. On the second day of its meet, the Coronation Stakes drew four horses at Saratoga.
“Last summer, I thought our stakes races were really strong in terms of field size and quality,” he said. “That's something we're hoping to emulate. Sometimes California gets a bad rap, but you look around the country, no matter where it is, I see four- and fivehorse stakes races. A steady diet all over the country of those particular races.
“It (criticism) drives me nuts. I follow New York closely, that's where I'm from, and I see a litany of small fields. In California, we run a small field and it's like the game's dying out here. I don't see any state in the country that can say it doesn't run small fields, whether it's Oaklawn, Kentucky or Gulfstream.
“We've just seen a diminishing number of stakes quality horses throughout the years. It's just a reality of our game and it's not just a California issue.”
Don't get me wrong. I've never been to Saratoga and it's on my bucket list, but let's face it — if you're looking for large fields, which the vast majority of bettors prefer, Del Mar is the track to bet. Not even close.
Yes, Saratoga has the Travers, the Whitney and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, but Del Mar has the Pacific Classic, which last year was won in spectacular fashion by Horse of the Year Flightline. This year's Pacific Classic looks like it could be wide open, setting it up for a large field. How many will try the Whitney and Gold Cup?
We'll see.