Greer's OC

Summer at the track is back. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club just released details on its 2026 Summer Racing Season, and tickets are on sale now at dmtc.com/tickets. The season runs from Opening Day on Friday, July 17, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

Founded more than 80 years ago by Bing Crosby, Del Mar remains the only seaside racetrack in the country, and this year's lineup includes 37 stakes races plus a packed calendar of trackside events.

Opening Day presented by Caesars Sportsbook brings back the annual Hats Contest and the Opening Day Party presented by Pacifico, with live DJs and specialty cocktails. New for 2026 is the Seabiscuit Society VIP Party, a ticketed event in the Grandstand's sixth-floor Skyroom with ocean views, hosted food and drink, and serious see-and-be-seen energy.

Fridays got a refresh too. First post time moves up to 2 p.m. (it was 4 p.m.), with closing weekend, Sept. 5-7, starting at 1:30 p.m. New Friday perks include 25% off signature drinks and select beer until 4 p.m., a ticketed Turf Club happy hour with two drinks and two appetizers, and weekly complimentary spirits tastings from brands like Bulleit Bourbon.

The trackside event calendar mixes old favorites with new additions:

• July 18: Tacos & Tequila
• July 26: Family Fun Day (new)
• Aug. 1: Uncorked: Del Mar Wine Fest
• Aug. 8: Turf & Surf Fest (new)
• Aug. 15: Taste of New Orleans
• Aug. 22: The $1 million Pacific Classic, now moved off Labor Day weekend
• Aug. 29: College Day
• Sept. 5: BBQ & Beer Fest (new)
• Sept. 6: Family Fun Day

On the food and drink front, chef Bryn McArthur of Amaya at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar is back curating Taste of the Turf Club, one of the only ways to experience the Turf Club without a membership. Sunday brunch gets a refreshed menu with bottomless beverages, and local pop-ups return to Plaza de Mexico every Sunday.

Diamond Club members should mark Free & Easy Thursdays: free admission, $5 Brandt Beef hot dogs, $5 16-ounce Michelob Ultra drafts and $5 refillable sodas at select concessions.

General admission starts at $10, with options that scale all the way up to trackside tables. Full details and tickets at dmtc.com.