UNSUNG HEROES DRAW PRAISE DURING UNIQUE RACE MEETING
DEL MAR
Rider Gilbert Estrella is not a name you will find among the leading jockeys at Del Mar this season.
In fact, Estrella hasn’t been in a race.
But when leading trainer Peter Miller recently discussed the unusual demands of training race horses during the COVID-19 pandemic, Estrella was high on his list of unsung heroes.
And there are a lot of unsung heroes.
“The success of Del Mar this year is a lot of people working together ... a lot of people who race fans never see like the workers on the backstretch side of the track,” said Miller.
“We wouldn’t be here without the guys in the barns who showed up every day,” said Mark Glatt, who recently celebrated his 1,000th career win as a trainer at Del Mar. “Everyone became more cognizant of their workers.”
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club President and COO Josh Rubinstein recently revisited some of the early decisions that kept Del Mar racing for all but one weekend of the combined summer and fall meetings.
“We separated the two operating areas of the track,” said Rubinstein. “We had as many as 1,000 staff and stable personnel residing and working on the backstretch. We kept that colony isolated from the jockeys, workers and trainers on the other side of the track to keep contact to a minimum.”
During the summer, jockeys were not permitted on the backstretch. They weren’t allowed to exercise horses. Some owners haven’t seen their horses since March. And, of course, there have been no fans at Del Mar during either the summer or fall meetings — although owners are now allowed to watch their horses run.
The traditional winner’s circle celebrations have been replaced by pictures taken at a distance of winning horses and jockeys on the track. And everyone wears a mask — at all times.
The plan was good. But
no plan this year has been perfect. Del Mar canceled the second weekend of the summer meeting after 15 jockeys tested positive. And Rubinstein said 11 workers on the backstretch tested positive during the summer meeting.
“All were immediately isolated,” said Rubinstein. “I’m glad to say all came back.”
Said Miller: “Kudos to Del Mar. I give the entire industry an A. During the shut-down week at Del Mar, I thought that could be it for the summer. I was very concerned. But the industry has done a very good job of keeping it going.
“We’re fortunate that
we’re not a contact sport. And horse racing was primed for something like this when other sports were not. Most of the wagering is done on the internet and through computers.”
But here is where Miller says racing didn’t earn an Aplus.
“I felt like we could have done more to extend our market share when other sports were still shut down,” said Miller. “I thought we should have been showing our races on network television every Saturday and Sunday when they were showing reruns of 20-yearold golf matches.
“We missed a golden opportunity to expose a new audience to our sport. There were no live sports other than horse racing. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.”
As for training during the pandemic?
“It’s been difficult to say the least,” Miller continued. “So many problems. The fact that they are cramming more races into fewer days makes it more difficult to point horses to specific races and keep them sharp.
“I’ve found certain benefits to it as well. I could focus completely on the job and cater less to outside issues. It was a double-edged sword. I’m a fan of the $2 bettor and I missed the interaction with them at the track.
“Training required some adjustments. We kept everyone on. But we had six workers contract the virus, which left us short-handed as we provided support and they were quarantined. Our problems just mirrored other industries. Everyone was vigilant. Everyone was tested. Everyone was very strict on masks. But our workers also come from different backgrounds and living conditions.”
Miller said one of the biggest adjustment came in working his horses.
“There was no afternoon schooling because access to the paddock was extremely limited,” said Miller. “And having no jockeys to work the horses was an issue that required an edjustment. Most exercise riders are too heavy for speed horses.” Enter Estrella.
“He pulled double and triple workloads,” said Miller. “Unlike some barns, in Gilbert we had an exjockey as a work rider. Big advantage.”
Notable
The final weekend of Del Mar’s fall meeting opens at 11 a.m. today with the Grade III Red Carpet Stakes for older fillies and mares highlighting the eight-race program. The $100,000 Red Carpet is the first of seven stakes on the turf this weekend capped by the Grade I Hollywood Derby on Saturday and the Grade I Matriarch Stakes on Sunday.