Tough bet

Two hours before the 2:00 p.m. post time, traffic for opening day at the Del Mar racetrack was jammed in every direction; southbound I-5 crept down from La Costa Avenue. Northbound I-5 was very slow. Trying to avoid the freeway by taking Coast Highway didn’t work either. Even traffic on nearby surface streets seemed not to move.

The 46th annual meeting of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on July 17 attracted over 45,000 spectators to the fairgrounds.

For the men, it was seersucker suits, pastel shirts, and bow ties; for the ladies, high heels with short, tight dresses that showed lots of cleavage. Almost every guy under 40 wore a fedora, as if a hat stand gave them away on the way in.

Rookie jockey Tiago Pereira won the first race, on a Brazilian horse named Hawk’s Eye. In the winner’s circle Pereria said, “I am very happy. It is my first time here.” The horse and stable were presented the winner’s rose wreath by San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer.

When first interviewed by a sportscaster from ABC News, Pereira was told he could speak in Spanish if he preferred. News-flash to the network-TV reporter: Pereira is from Brazil. He speaks Portuguese. However during my interview, Pereira and his wife spoke English well.

Two teenaged brothers, Colby, 17, and Julian, 13, just moved here from Virginia. The 4S Ranch residents said they had just won the first race, their dad placing the bet. Colby said he had never seen anything like opening day before and liked all the hats (he also noted “all the rich drunk people”). Colby got a boyish grin when I asked him if he noticed anything else in his people-watching. Julian indicated he was also old enough to notice the women.

Sharply dressed 23-year old Bree from Lakeside said she was jealous of all the other beautiful females. It was her second opening day and she was going to bet $25 at the most. She didn’t win any money in the first race.

For 2014, the track has a new, brightly colored scoreboard. Also over the winter break, as a requirement for hosting the 2017 Breeders Cup, the Thoroughbred Club widened the turf track to allow a larger field of 14 horses to run.

Also noticed by most were the exceptionally long betting lines. On the first several races, lines of bettors were left holding their money as the races started and betting windows automatically shut. It didn’t matter where you were; in-field, clubhouse, or off the paddock, lines seemed to never move. Numerous windows were not opened or staffed.

In the third race, I got in a line with seven minutes left to post, usually plenty of time to get to the window. As track announcer Trevor Denman said, “Away they go,” I missed placing my $4 show bet on “Kinz Funky Monkey” and missed a $10.40 payout.