The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs, the race has been held annually since 1984 at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Christopher John McCarron is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years old Chris McCarron wove a spell that brought his mounts to the winner's circle 547 times in 1974, breaking all records for most races won in a year. The previous record was set by Sandy Hawley in 1973 with 515 wins in a year.
The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a 370-acre (1.5 km2) event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with founding member Bing Crosby providing leadership.
The Del Mar Debutante Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old fillies run each year in early September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 1999, the Debutante is raced on dirt at a distance of seven furlongs and currently offers a purse of $300,000.
The Del Mar Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Open to three-year-old fillies, it is contested at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf. Since 1994 it has been a Grade I event.
The Hollywood Derby is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late November/early December. Now held at Del Mar racetrack in San Diego, California, until 2014 it was held at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The race is open to horses aged three and contested at a mile and an eighth on turf. It currently offers a purse of $300,000.
The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three years and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track, scheduled annually in late July or early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a purse of $300,000.
The Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby is an American thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first week of September at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade II race open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on turf over a distance of one and one-eighth miles.
The Del Mar Futurity is a seven-furlong American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A Grade I event since 2007, the race is open to two-year-old horses and offers a purse of $300,000.
The Del Mar Handicap is an American thoroughbred horse race run each year during the third week of August at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and three-eighths miles on the Jimmy Durante turf course.
The San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late July/early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. It is considered the track's key prep race for its foremost attraction, the $1-million Pacific Classic Stakes.
Binglin Stable in Moorpark, Ventura County, California, was a stock farm established during the latter part of the 1930s to race and breed Thoroughbred horses. The stable was owned by entertainer Bing Crosby and close friend, Lindsay Howard. Crosby was a fan of Thoroughbred horse racing who in 1937 became a founding partner and member of the board of directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, operators of Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Lindsay Howard's father, Charles S. Howard, was a millionaire businessman who was also a founding partner and director of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and who owned a successful racing stable that included the 1938 U.S. Horse of the Year, Seabiscuit. Upon his retirement from riding, future Hall of Fame jockey Albert Johnson, a childhood friend of Crosby, became the stable's trainer.
Sing You Sinners is a 1938 American musical comedy film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Ellen Drew, and Donald O'Connor. Written by Claude Binyon, the film is about three singing brothers who go to California to find their fortune. Initially the film was to be titled "The Unholy Beebes" and then "Harmony for Three" before finishing with "Sing You Sinners". Filming took place in April/May 1938 in Hollywood. Race track scenes were filmed at the Pomona Fairgrounds and at Santa Anita using two dozen of Crosby's horses. Sing You Sinners was premiered on August 5, 1938 at the Del Mar racetrack with the New York premiere taking place on August 16.
Riding High is a 1950 black-and-white musical racetrack film featuring Bing Crosby and directed by Frank Capra. The songs were performed live during filming instead of the customary lip-synching to studio recordings. The film is a remake of an earlier Capra film with screenwriter Robert Riskin titled Broadway Bill (1934). While the film is generally a light musical comedy, its plot contains an unexpected tragic turn.
The Bob Hope Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds over a distance of seven furlongs on the dirt track scheduled annually in November at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The event currently carries a purse of $100,000.
Chinook Pass was an American Champion thoroughbred racehorse. He was noted for his performances over sprint distances and was voted American Champion Sprint Horse in 1983.
W-L Ranch Co. was an American Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding partnership between Hollywood film studio executive Harry M. Warner and film director Mervyn LeRoy. Warner's daughter, Doris, was married to Mervyn LeRoy.
The Wickerr Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in mid-July at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. A restricted stakes, it is limited to horses age three and older that are Non-Winners Of A Sweepstakes Of $50,000 Other Than State Bred. It is contested on turf over a distance of one mile.
Points Offthebench was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his performances over sprint distances. Campaigned exclusively in California, he was lightly raced in his early career, running twice a two-year-old in 2011 and once in the following year. As a four-year-old in 2013 he began by racing against moderate opposition before emerging as one of the best sprinters in North America with Grade I victories in the Bing Crosby Stakes and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Preparing for the Breeders' Cup, he fractured his leg during a workout and was euthanized. At the end of the year, he was posthumously named American Champion Sprint Horse.
William Andrew Quigley was an American college football player and coach and founder of the Del Mar racetrack.
