“Chargers Day at Del Mar,” a celebration of the team’s rich history in San Diego keyed around the team’s former players paying tribute to their faithful fans, will be held Saturday, July 22 at the seaside track.
Several dozen past and current Chargers players have signed on for an afternoon of festivities that will include winner’s circle salutes, photo and autograph sessions, video clips and photos centered on the team’s 56-year run in the community. All the “Lightning Bolt” activity will add special zest to a full afternoon of high-class racing that will feature a pair of major events, the Eddie Read Stakes and the TVG San Diego Handicap, with the latter race a possible target for the horse currently considered the best in the world, Arrogate.
“This is a chance for many of the Chargers players to say thank you to the people of San Diego who rooted for them through thick and thin during more than half a century here in town,” said former Chargers player/coach/broadcaster Hank Bauer. “We’ll be tipping our caps to our loyal fans and letting them know how much we appreciated that loyalty and their support and encouragement over all those years.”
The Chargers players, coaches and staff will gather at an all-day barbecue hosted by Del Mar in the Seaside Cabana at the top of the stretch. Then, as the day unfolds, groups of Chargers by decade – starting in the 1960s and going forward through the ‘70s, 80s and on up to current day – will assemble in the winner’s circle following each of the day’s races to honor the winning horse, then, in turn, to be honored by the Del Mar crowd. A photo and autograph session with each group will follow in the track’s Plaza de Mexico.
Many of Del Mar’s racing fans over the years also were serious Chargers football fans, a natural mix for two of the area’s most highly competitive and visible sporting events. Several Chargers players were involved in racehorse ownerships and many more were summertime fans of the Thoroughbred game and regular track visitors. A Del Mar Media Guide of recent vintage featured a fun picture of several Del Mar jockeys in their silks lined up in three-point stances across from several hulking Chargers linemen in a “showdown” in the track’s paddock between races.
Del Mar’s 78th summer season opens on Wednesday, July 19 and continues on to Monday, September 4, which is Labor Day. Racing begins most days at 2 p.m. The special “Chargers Day at Del Mar” will have a first post of 2 p.m. with a 10-race card on the agenda.
To purchase Del Mar tickets, got to DelMarRacing.com/Tickets