Del Mar racetrack

Visitors to Del Mar racetrack in September 2007 gather in the paddock area where horses and jockeys can be checked out on a video screen before a race.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Their horse’s victory on the track brings smiles to a small crowd gathered in the Winner’s Circle last summer after a race at Del Mar.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Groomers in the paddock area turn a cooling spray on a horse before a race at Del Mar.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

A racetrack visitor gives the racing form a close look.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Racing fans study their choices under framed portraits that commemorate past champions.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Les Kepics, trumpeter at Del Mar since 1985, lets fans know the next race is about to start.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Sandy Berman of Del Mar waits trackside last September for the next race.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Horses charge out of the starting gate on the last day of the 2007 season at Del Mar.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

The drama and beauty of thoroughbred competition are perhaps best viewed up close. Because Del Mar is one of the nation’s top tracks, it attracts sport’s most celebrated jockeys and trainers as well as owners such as composer Burt Bacharach and A&M Records co-founder Jerry Moss.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Giovanni Armas, 4, cheers on the horses from atop the shoulders of his grandfather, Efrain Armas.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

An outdoor patio restaurant at Del Mar looks down on the paddock parade, enabling spectators to see all the pre-race ceremony. On Saturdays and Sundays, the track offers a buffet for $9.95 during the morning workouts.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

Jockeys walk toward the paddock where, for 20 minutes before the start of each race, they gather with horses, trainers and owners prior to the march to the starting gate.  (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)