Del Mar's race season ends with a look forward

As the 78th season of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club came to a close, I talked with two highly visible track personalities. They took a look back on the season and the future as Del Mar prepares to host the greatest spectacle in horse racing this fall.

Connie Broge is the smartly dressed woman spectators see in the winner’s circle every race. She presents the owner of each winning horse with a bouquet of roses and a bottle of bourbon and makes sure visiting celebrities make it through the crowd to join the winners.

Track history always refers to Hollywood’s connection with Del Mar, in the likes of track founders Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien and regulars Lucy and Desi Arnaz, Jimmy Durante, Dorothy Lamour, W. C. Fields, Ava Gardner, Red Skelton, and Dick Van Patten, to name a few.

But this year, were there current celebrities filling the exclusive box seats of the Turf Club? “Yes,” said Broge. “But unlike the old celebrities, today’s celebrities aren’t here to be seen. They’re here to have fun.”

Some celebrities who popped up in the past few years: Mario Lopez, Caitlyn Jenner, Jessica Simpson, Rudy Giuliani, Kevin Costner, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, and Toby Maguire.

“The Kardashians visited,” said Broge. “They didn’t care about the horses. They just wanted to be seen.”

Her favorite celebrity this year was New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “He always takes his time with the fans. He’s just a very nice guy,” Broge said.

Broge said things have been a little subdued this year. “It’s been a low-key season. We’re spending a lot of time and energy planning [for the Breeder's Cup]. The Breeder's Cup people have been here all season, observing, making sure we’re ready to integrate our track.”

Will she be the flower girl in the winner’s circle for the cup? “Probably not,” said Broge. “NBC has all that choreographed with their own TV people.”

Local musician Les Kepics has been the track’s trumpeter for the past 33 years, playing the traditional “First Call” before each race as the horses and jockeys appear on the track.

Kepics said the track installed a new PA system this year, which allows his trumpet to be heard more clearly throughout the grandstands. “Before, I really had to blow. My lip would get hard,” he said.

Just before Kepics was to be interviewed on August 30, during the fourth race, three-year-old horse Secret Shopper suffered a fall and needed to be put down. The accident happened in the backstretch and we only saw on the monitors jockey Jamie Theriot fall from the horse.

Kepics said that this year he thought the track was the best and safest ever, with now a 12-inch depth of dirt and wider turf track. “Despite what we just saw, as tragic as it was, this is only maybe the third horse [having to be put down]. The track is very forgiving.”

With the race season closing today (Monday, September 4), Kepics will be off to his next gig by Tuesday night, playing with a 50-piece big-band orchestra in L.A. He already has a lot of corporate gigs lined up for the off-season. “Sometimes I think they hire me so the corporations can say, ‘Look who we’ve got in the band. The trumpeter from Del Mar,’ ” said Kepics.

Del Mar’s 20-day fall Crosby Season starts November 1. The Breeder's Cup goes off on November 3 and 4. The event, known has the Super Bowl of horse racing, will be the largest worldwide viewing audience of the sport.