San Diego - Part 4

Del Mar is pretty well know for the horse races that take place every summer! The racing season runs from mid-July to early September with races Wed-Sunday. In all my visits here, I've never been so I figured it was about time to fix that. :) It was pretty fun! The entire complex is amazing...they have all the 'back of the house' places where the horses are groomed and kept, along with a HUGE track. The 'bandstand' (for lack of a better word) holds over 40,000 people. Wow!



The nice thing is that you can pay the admission price to get in ($6) and then either stand at the rail up front or use the free seating. They always have free seating which is amazing!

{this is where they parade the horses right before they race. amazing creatures to see up close!}

I had the sweetest security guard give me a tour of the place, including into this special pen where you can get up close to pet all the horses. It was amazing.

{here's the 'bandstand'} 

{you can get right up to the rail for a front row seat as the horses cross the finish line. they race every half hour.}

{the winning jockey was a female! she was so tiny!}

 

{just part of the complex. it's huge!}

I don't really understand all the betting or really know anything about who the good horses are but it sure was fun to go. There were also lots of women in great hats!