With the notable exception of its brand-new Opening Day $1-million guarantee for a single ticket Pick Six winner, Del Mar’s 2023 betting menu will look quite familiar to those who have played the seaside track over the past several years when it begins its 84th season this Friday.
As per usual, the wagering starts with the traditional Win/Place/Show bets and extends out to five different multi-race exotic offerings – the Early Pick Four, the Late Pick Four, the Early Pick Five, the Late Pick Five and the Pick Six.
In all there are 15 different ways to invest in the daily programs, which will range from eight to 11 races on various afternoons throughout the eight-week session.
The rich Opening Day Pick Six guarantee is expected to stir early interest in the track’s popular wager, which can be played for as little as 20¢. In addition, the bet will have several high-interest “mandatory payout” afternoons that will be announced once the race meet is up and running.
“It’s basically our classic betting menu which has proven extremely popular with our fans,” said Del Mar’s director of mutuels, Bill Navarro. “The Opening Day Pick Six guarantee for $1-million will fire things up right away and we’re looking forward to another season of action aplenty over the course of the summer.”
Several of the track’s multi-race bets were lowered from a $1 price to 50¢ in 2021 and that will continue this year. They are the Super High 5 – available on the day’s last race; the early Pick Four (starting with Race 2); the Late Pick Four on the last four races of the day, and the Late Pick Five (available on the last five races of the afternoon).
Further, there again will be a Win/Place/Show Parlay available for a minimum of two races and a maximum of six. It is a $2 bet.
Besides the Pick Six, the wager that draws the most buzz from the racing crowd is the Late Pick Four. The bet has regularly registered $1-million-plus pools on weekends, a sweet prize for players who are willing to take a swing.
The full array of Del Mar bets is a follows: $2 Win, Place and Show (all races): $1 Exacta (all); $2 Quinella (all); $2 Rolling Doubles (all except last); $1 Rolling Pick 3 (all except last two); $1 Superfecta (10¢ minimum – all); $1 Place Pick All (starts w/Race 1 or 2); 50¢ Super High 5 (last); 20¢ Pick Six (last six); 50¢ Players’ Pick 5 (first five and last five); 50¢ Pick 4 (Races 2 thru 5 and last four), and $2 Win-Place-Show Parlay (all races but last).
Del Mar will open its season with a three-day weekend (July 21, 22, 23), then have five four-day weeks (Thursday through Sunday), followed by a five-day week (including Labor Day Monday, September 4), then finally finish with a Friday-through-Sunday weekend (September 8, 9 and 10). First post on most days will be 2 p.m.
