Two Del Mar tales from where the surf mets the turf

Legendary Race Caller Trevor Denman Announces Retirement; Larry Collmus to Take Mic at Del Mar

Iconic race caller Trevor Denman has announced his retirement after 40 years on the job at Del Mar. Denman will be succeeded at the seaside track by veteran track announcer Larry Collmus, the voice of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup for NBC Sports.

Denman, 72, who first started calling races in 1971 in his native South Africa, has been in the booth atop the Del Mar grandstand for all but one summer racing season since 1984. A Southern California racing institution, he also served as the caller at Santa Anita from 1983-2015, and for a time, called races at every stop on the Southern California circuit, including Hollywood Park and Fairplex Park.

“This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made,” Denman said. “But my soul is telling me that now is the time.”

Denman and his colorful story-telling style of race calling effectively changed how the sport was heard in America. Rather than the straight reporting of positions during the running, he would weave a tale of what was unfolding and – using his background from early days at the South African jockey school as well as his special feel for the game – would often alert racing fans to events likely to happen well before they did.

“We knew this would eventually come with Trevor, and now it is here,” added Del Mar CEO Joe Harper. “We’ve been so lucky to have the best in the business in our booth for all these years, and now all we can do is wish him and his wife Robin the very best on their road ahead.”

Trevor Denman, say cheese/Benoit Photo

Collmus, 58, has called races around the world since his first at Bowie Race Track in Maryland in 1985. His first full-time job as a track announcer came when he was 20 years old at Birmingham Turf Club in Alabama. Since, he has ascended to call many of the most important races of this century, including American Pharoah’s Triple Crown run in 2015, every scintillating Breeders’ Cup performance since 2012 and the 2023 Dubai World Cup.

“Del Mar racing fans have been so fortunate to have Trevor as the announcer here and we’re excited that someone of Larry’s stature and experience can succeed him,” said Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein. “Just as we’ve been lucky to have Trevor in the booth all these years, we’re lucky now to have Larry here.“

Collmus has served as the regular race caller for Del Mar’s fall Bing Crosby meet since he took over that role from Denman in 2020. He also serves as an on-camera racing analyst for FanDuel TV.

“I grew up listening to Trevor and have loved his unforgettable calls for decades,” Collmus said. “It is an absolute honor to follow him at Del Mar. Calling the races there in the fall the last five years has been a great experience and I’m thrilled to be the new full-time voice of Del Mar.”

Denman called races for more than 50 years. Besides his extensive Southern California stint, he worked at tracks in the Bay Area and on the east coast, as well as calling the Breeders’ Cup races when ESPN had the TV rights to the championship event. Additionally, he provided the calls in several racing movies and dozens of television shows. He currently lives with his wife Robin on a 500-acre farm in the Minnesota countryside.

$1-Million Pacific Classic Tops Del Mar Stakes Program for 2025 Summer Season

To the winner of the 2025 Pacific Classic, goes the trophy/Del Mar News

For its 86th summer season by the blue Pacific, Del Mar is planning a $7,825,000 stakes program that provides 38 opportunities for a piece of its distinctive black type headed by the iconic track’s piece de resistance – the 35th edition of the $1,000,000 Pacific Classic, a Grade I headliner that often lures top horses from across the nation for its mile and one quarter testing.

The Pacific Classic will be run on Saturday, August 30 as the centerpiece for a sparkling card offering five graded stakes and more than $2-million in purses, including a pair of Grade II features – the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap and the $300,000 Del Mar Mile – both contested on the track’s renown Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

The Summer of 2025 will get off and running on Friday, July 18 and go forward to Sunday, September 7. It will cover eight weeks and 31 racing days in all.

For the fourth time – and second year in a row – the seaside oval will host the Breeders’ Cup at the beginning of its fall season, a factor that figures to enhance its summer stakes program with horsemen and horsewomen looking for opportunities to give their charges a “feel for the surroundings” where the rich and prestigious championship events will unfold. This year’s 42nd edition of the Breeders’ Cup – with its $34 million in purses and awards — will take place on Friday and Saturday, October 31 and November 1.

In addition to the track’s Grade I Pacific Classic, there will be five other Grade I opportunities available during the session. Further, there will be nine Grade II offerings on tap and six Grade III stakes on the agenda.

Exactly half – 19 – of the 38 races, which include five overnight stakes, will be contested on the turf and eight of the stakes will be for California-breds, offering a total of $1-million in purses. Additionally, the five overnight stakes each will carry a purse of $100,000.

“Our stakes schedule is a very compelling program with something for everyone,” noted Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens.  “The initial feedback from our owners and trainers has been very encouraging.  We can’t wait to get started.”

The complete list of stakes follows: