As the heat rises here in the desert, so does the need to take more weekend road trips to cooler climates. This past weekend I had the opportunity to join a few friends in their box at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Opening day at DMTC was last Wednesday. Attendance on Opening Day totaled 44,907, the largest crowd in Del Mar history. If anything, these numbers give us hope that the economy truly is recovering. The crowd on Saturday was pretty good. I don’t know what the head count was, but the lines to place bets were long.
Our group was lucky with several of us leaving with more money in our pockets than we arrived with. The weather was perfect, not too hot and not very overcast. The races were entertaining and we all came in the money, so that makes it a little more fun. There was also a ceremony to unveil a new mural that is painted on a wall near the escalators at the track. It is a cartoon depiction of many of the regular jockey’s, trainers, owners and other well-known characters at Del Mar. My only gripe was the expensive beverages at the track.
Before the races we had lunch at an old time favorite haunt called Fidel’s. It is located in Del Mar just a few minutes from the track. They have excellent food and the prices are reasonable. After the races we headed back to Escondido where we were staying. Our friends invited us for cocktails and appetizers at another Mexican restaurant called Hacienda de Vega. The ambiance was really authentic with a beautiful pond and waterfall that streamed off of the restaurant roof. The pond was the center point of the patio area where they offer outdoor dining and a quaint outdoor lounge area. We were told their dinner menu was excellent, but we didn’t have the opportunity to try it.
After having so much Mexican food it is time to get back to reality and eat light for a few days.
That looks very cool. I am jealous. I would love to tear it up down there