The 20th annual Hats Contest attracted dozens of men and women with wide-brimmed headwear adorned with flowers, horses, miniature replicas of the grandstands, trophies and chickens. The contest featured categories like Best Racing Theme, Funniest/Most Outrageous, Most Glamorous, Best Flowers/All Others, and Best Fascinator — a wool, lace or feather alternative to a hat.
Stands were filled with locals and out-of-towners getting their first glimpse of the enlarged racetrack. More than 45,000 spectators were expected.
Lucia Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was on hand to present flowers to the owners of a winning horse. A photo of Arnaz’s parents hangs in the lobby of the grandstands.
The race season runs through Sept. 3. This year, a 15-date mini-season will be held in November.
“Our fall race meeting starting this year will be totally separate from our summer session,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club president and CEO Joe Harper. “They will be two different animals. We know our summer meet is a winner — we’ve proven it over and over again. And we expect our autumn run can be special, too, in its own way.”
The annual highlight of the summer racing season, the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, is set for Aug. 24.
Races are scheduled Wednesday through Sunday, with the first-race post time at 2 p.m. most days. On Fridays, the first post is 4 p.m.
Admission prices after opening day will be $10 for the clubhouse and $6 for the stretch run on all other days.
The North County Transit District is operating two additional southbound trains today, one of which left the Oceanside Transit Station at 11:30 a.m. and the other set to head out at 6:35 p.m. During the season, the agency will offer a “Pony Express” ticket, which for $11 includes round-trip fare on the Coaster and Sprinter trains, along with the Breeze bus, plus stretch run admission and a free shuttle between the Solana Beach Coaster station and the racetrack.
The racing season traditionally begins on Wednesday but was pushed back a day to prepare the track following the San Diego County Fair.
— City News Service contributed to this report.
Daniella Lopez from Imperial Beach waits in the shade of the infield.
Cassandra Cushing from San Antonio, Texas poses in front of a infield tunnel painting.
Spectators watch as horses are led in for bettors to view.
Jockeys pose for a photo on Opening Day.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano, center, returns to racing after healing from an injury suffered in May.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer speaks with horse owners and officials.
Kayla Carnevale, left, and Manda Owen, both from San Diego get ready for the contest.
Allie Rivera of San Diego shows a hat ready for the Winner’s Circle.
Charlotte Ginsburg from Redondo Beach displays colorful feathers.
Amber Thorne of Costa Mesa shows her hat, Butterfly’s Dream.
Donna Greer from oceanside, models her hat with a horse theme.
Lori Shelton from Scripps Ranch shows off her hat, which she put together in 100 hours.
Marty Cooper from Encinitas, right, and his companion join the hat contest.
Les Sutter from Mission Bay shows off his dinosaur hat.
Tiffany, Toni and Rocky from Texas are ready for the races to begin.
Horses are led to the Paddock area for spectators to look them over before the race.
A horse is led to the track.
Sabrenna Pannacciulli of Carlsbad stands in line for Opening Day.
Tony Turnbull, originally from London, joins the festivities wearing his bowler.
Renai Halow wears her sunny summer hat on Opening Day.
Randy Wilson of Monrovia attracted many admirers while participating in the hat contest.
Fans react to race.
Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz of the I Love Lucy fame.
Lucie Arnaz, left, readies to present flowers to the owners of the winning horse.
Spectators react to the outcome of the race.
Horses sprint in an opening day race at Del Mar. Photo by Chris Stone
The first race of the day was run on the main track.
Horses head for the track.
A jockey prepares for the race.
Jockey M. Garcia delights in his horse’s win.
Horse move from the Paddock to the track.
Owners of Kinz Funky Monkey celebrate in the winners circle.
Kinz Funky Monkey wins Race 3.
A horse racing fan signals in approval of the race outcome.
Bird in Love gets a drink after winning a race.
The horse Bird in Love sprints to a win.
Horse racing at Del Mar. File photo by Chris Stone
Daniel Powell of Solana Beach entered the hat contest.
A discarded ticket after a race.
Horses sprint out of the starting gate.
A horse races past its image on the big screen.
Spectators react to the result of a race.
A horse sprints on the grass track at Del Mar. Photo by Chris Stone
