Del Mar to open Friday for late season meet

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Del Mar, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Del Mar Racetrack begins its 2015 late season meet Friday, taking over the dates once held by Hollywood Park.

Known as the "Bing Crosby Season" the 15 days of racing at Del Mar will have the usual cast of characters that inhabit Southern California's tracks this time of year.

"We're here to run. We have to support this meet," trainer Peter Miller said. "If you can't support the business, you can't complain when we're all out of work. We've got a bunch of horses that are ready to run. I live 10 minutes from here so it's kind of a home game for me.

"I think it's just a great addition to the racing calendar. I hope it's very successful and I think it will be."

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella is excited to be racing at the track with the lyrical motto: "Where the turf meets the surf."

"I'm excited to be here in November," Mandella said. "I hope that we'll get enough attendance and support to make it worthwhile, but it's surely a great thing to be here.

"With only three weeks it's not worth moving the whole thing here and changing everybody's life. Next year, when it's four weeks, we'll just move. We're giving them a warning, basically."

Del Mar will offer racing from Nov. 7 through Nov. 30.