The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) launches the 2006 racing season next Wednesday, July 19, and a lot more than small jockeys in loud shirts is in store for the thousands that will pass through the gates for the 43-day run of the races.
“It’s not just horse racing. People come for the scene,” said Craig Dado, vice president of marketing for the DMTC. “Where else do you hear guys say, ‘Hey, let’s go find some girls at the track’?”
Dado said that five years ago, the DMTC made a conscious effort to reinvent the track’s image and reach out to a younger demographic. By including headliner concerts and events geared toward 20- and 30-somethings, the Del Mar track is bucking the trend of declining attendance, and growing in a business that is generally shrinking. Attendance at Del Mar is up 20 percent in the past five years since the campaign began, Dado said.
The most popular promotional attraction is the “Four O’Clock Fridays” concert series that brings thousands of music fans to the track to see performances by a number of big-name acts.
Scheduled to play this year are The Flaming Lips (July 21), The Violent Femmes (July 28), Common Sense (Aug. 4), Pinback (Aug. 11), Alice in Chains (Aug. 18), Matt Costa (Aug. 25) and Louis XIV (Sept. 1) The concerts are free with admission.
Two additional Saturday concerts, Billy Idol (Aug. 12) and Jimmy Eat World (Aug. 26), will be held in conjunction with microbrewery festivals.
The infusion of young patrons is boosting revenue for the DMTC. Dado said that betting is up 10 percent on Fridays, and attributes it not necessarily to the younger attendees coming for the concerts, but to the big race players who like the feel of a younger vibe in the crowd and bet more on these days.
This season, as always, opens with the trademark “One and Only Truly Fabulous Hats Contest.” Winners with the most glamorous and outrageous hats can win cash prizes in addition to this year’s grand prize, a Hot Spring Envoy Spa.
