Call it beginner’s luck.
Three months ago, Robert Manly bought his first stake in a horse-racing group and by the end of the first race Wednesday at the Del Mar racetrack, he was standing in the winner’s circle.
That wasn’t a bad start for the Rancho Santa Fe resident’s investment in 4-year-old gelding Popular Kid. It also marked a good start to the 81st summer meet at Del Mar.
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Lauren Phinney arrived with her red and matching red dress on opening day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Tatiana Slepova volunteered at the hat competition on opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Joshua Harris from East Village sported a summer fedora hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Maddy Tran from San Marcos arrived on opening day of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club dressed with her favorite hat. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Caroline Sullivan on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Shelli Swindell from Solana Beach work a straw hat for opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Melissa Berry from downtown, San Diego wore a red layered hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Gianne Wointwood and Laura Paulson on opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Azucena Hierro wore hat filled with bright yellow flowers for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Sonya Alexander from La Mesa dressed in black to match her black net hat for the hat competition on opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Joe Little from Chula Vista wore fedora hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Julie Turner on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Samantha D. Wolf from downtown, San Diego on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Janessa Francisco on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Liticia Arguelles from Escondido wore a black hat and a white dress for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Najma Ali from Mission Valley wore a large white net hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Brenna Arant from Carlsbad at opening day in Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Allie Wagner with KUSI-TV on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Lupe Ahern wore a large hat too opening day for the traditional hat competition at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on opening day. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Shelli Swindell from Solana Beach work a straw hat for opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Victoria Sexsmith from Menifee, California on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Bianca Wilson wore a hat made of butterflies for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Sisters Anna Mackin and Debra Mauzy-Melitz on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Amanda Haren from Ocean Beach on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Jennifer Zamudio wore a black hat and white dress for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Audra Stafford stopped by to model her opening day hat at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Christina Jones from Murrieta arrived wearing a red ribbon hat for the hat competition on opening day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Carlos Amezcua at opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Laurie Perchak on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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At opening day at Del Mar, left to right, Sorana Caldwell, Gilia Melendez, Camille Wood, Jennifer Leach, Natalie Mozalova and Kinda Knowles. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Melody Cooper from Encinitas wore a small white net hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Janessa Francisco on opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Sharon Amezcua wore a black hat hat and blue dress to opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Maddy Tran from San Marcos arrived on opening day of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club dressed with her favorite hat. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Francella Perez from Carlsbad wore a bright yellow hat and dress to opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Emma Zuckerman from La Jolla arrived wearing a white/silver hat and matching white dress on opening day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
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Sonya Alexander from La Mesa dressed in black to match her black net hat for the hat competition on opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Shevon San Vincente from Escondido posed with her special designed hat during opening day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Jamie Gonsalves wore a bright yellow hat for opening day at Del Mar. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Brooke Hasselmann and Kassidy Byers on opening day at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
More than 40,000 people packed the grandstands for opening day festivities, which included 10 races, the 24th annual hat contest and a midday performance of “How the Turf Meets the Surf” by TV star David Hasselhoff. The star of TV’s “Baywatch” performed the song made popular by crooner Bing Crosby, who co-founded the seaside track in 1937.
Wednesday marked the 67th consecutive opening day at Del Mar for 93-year-old Leucadia resident Tom Whayne. Back in 1951, Whayne and his late wife, Phyllis, began their opening day tradition and he’s kept the streak going solo since she passed away in 1986.
He’s a retired drama teacher and she was a music teacher, so when they bought their own yearling female racehorse in 1970, they named her Dame Quickly, after the Shakespeare play and opera character. Sadly, as one sportswriter reported, Dame Quickly didn’t “run to her name,” and she retired winless several years later.
The Whaynes traveled the world watching and betting on horse races. Their biggest win was a pick-six at Agua Caliente track in Tijuana, where they won $7,200 on a $32 bet.
Overall, Whayne said he lost more than he ever won at the track but he’s done much better with real estate. The $11,000 property they bought in 1971 on Neptune Avenue is now worth over $1 million.
Whayne said he loves coming to the track for the sheer passion of the sport.
“I love the beauty of animals running, I love the animals, the heroism of the riders, the uniqueness of the scene and the sport itself,” he said.
For many opening day race-goers, the biggest attraction wasn’t on the turf but the fashions in the stands. More than $5,000 in prizes was at stake for the winners of the annual hat contest, which draws about 300 contestants each year.
Among this year’s competitors was Amparo Brean of Encinitas and her daughter, Shevon, who were both entered in the “Best Racing Theme” category.
Amparo was wearing a large, handmade, cone-shaped blue-and-gold canvas cap topped with a tiny hat-bedecked Barbie-like doll surfing a set of cresting waves. Shevon’s hat was a blue-and-gold horse standing on a horseshoe-decorated platform. Brean said she’s been competing in the contest for 12 years because she enjoys all the attention she receives for her hard work.
Contestant Liliana Prieto of San Diego won the grand prize in 2015 for her gigantic flower-topped hat. This year, she was back with another hat of enormous size. This year’s eight-pound topper was capped with a huge magnolia-style silk flower surrounded with other artificial blooms.
Even more festive were the matching bee-themed hats and yellow tutus created for the Most Outrageous category by sisters Anna Mackin of Rancho Santa Fe and Debra Mauzy-Melitz of Irvine. Mackin’s cap had a papier-mâché beehive dripping with faux honey and Mauzy-Melitz’s hat had a gigantic furry bee.
While the Turf Club was bursting at the seams Wednesday, there were thousands of other celebrants who paid $35 apiece to attend an opening day party in the stretch run parking lot. More geared for the millennial set than the older high-rollers, the party had DJs, corn hole games, selfie photo spots, a live muralist and several radio station booths.
Among those standing in a long line for beer at the party was 21-year-old Arran James of Denver, who may have been the only male at the track Wednesday wearing a jaunty ladies fascinator. He’s in town this week for a convention and came to the races because it seemed like a quintessentially “San Diego thing to do.”
This year’s summer meet continues through Sept. 3 with 41 stakes races, including the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 18. Racing returns this fall with the Bing meet from Nov. 9 to Dec. 2.
Special events planned for this summer’s meet include the Burgers & Brews fest on July 21; a craft beer festival on Aug. 18; the Turf & Surf BBQ Championship on Aug. 19; and a concert series with music starting after the final race on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
For details, visit dmtc.com.
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
