Photos by Chris Stone
Opening day of the 15-day Bing Crosby Season started at the Del Mar Racetrack with a Vintage Hollywood Fashion Contest — a fall version of the hat contest on the first day of the regular summer season.
Friday’s event took place in the Plaza de Mexico and included $3,000 in prizes for most glamorous, best-dressed couple and best celebrity lookalike.
Racing will be held Thursdays through Sundays through Nov. 30. Cards of eight races will be run most Thursdays and Fridays, starting at 12:30 p.m., while nine-race programs will be held with a first post at noon.
All Sundays during the meet have been dubbed “Football Sundays” with telecasts of NFL games shown on high-definition televisions in the pubs located on the paddock and the Jockey Box on the second floor of the eastern end of the Stretch Run.
Admission is free for seniors 62 and older every Thursday.
Dates for the Bing Crosby Season had previously gone to now-closed Hollywood Park in Inglewood. The season is named for the late entertainer who was among the Del Mar Racetrack’s founders.
— City News Service
Spectators look at the big screen featuring trumpeter Les Kepics.
Horse racing fans enjoyed a comfortable afternoon amid the action in Del Mar.
Lucy Ricardo, aka Diane Vincent of Tribute Productions, entertains the crowd.
Allie Moss and Ralph Chelli of Tribute Productions entertain the crowd.
A jockey rests outside the paddock before the next race.
Horses and jockeys head for the track.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano leads his horse toward the finish line.
A horse in the paddock gets prepped before a race.
A winning jockey is hugged by an owner.
A horse and jockey head for the track.
The Bing Crosby Season gives enthusiasts another time of the year to enjoy the sport.
Horse owners gather in the paddock.
Matt Allen, Maria Von Losch and Heather Lake are in the spirt of the theme of the race day.
Judy Boyd-Hillebrand is dressed up for the races.
Kathleen Killin catches eyes at the track.
A girl enjoys interacting with a horse.
A jockey’s shiny boots stand out in the paddock area.
Ranger Laidman and Jana Hawthorne dressed fashionably for the opening day of the Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar.
Horses are paraded around the paddock for bettors to get a closer look.
A race begins on the turf track at Del Mar. File photo by Chris Stone
A jockey heads to the paddock for the next race.
Spectators enjoyed champagne and beer in the afternoon heat.
Les Kepics plays his trumpet to announce the beginning of the next race.
Long shadows are evident as the races are run in the late afternoon.
Steve Batterly cheers as a horse he bet on, Queen of the Sand, comes in second.
Racing hasn’t been held in the fall in Del Mar since 1967.
Races were run on both tracks Friday.
Horse race enthusiasts can take in the action for 15 days.
John McMillian dressed stylishly for the opening day of the Bing Crosby horseracing season.
Tanner Dale, 5, is excited after a jockey gave him goggles at the opening day of the Bing Crosby Season at the Del Mar racetrack.
