For a few minutes, the focus at Del Mar is on the track.
The crowd cheers as thoroughbreds race toward the finish line, but for the horses, that finish line is only one part of their day and their racing career is only one part of their lives.
With the Del Mar summer meet coming to an end Sept. 7, we wanted to see what happens to the horses when the races are over.
Meet Cal.
The four-year-old thoroughbred racehorse is a competitive athlete and a pretty big fan of carrots.
“Look at his ears. He loves eating carrots,” Little Red Feather Racing founder and managing partner Billy Koch said while visiting Cal in his stall.
Cal's routine is much more than race day. Koch says every horse has something to do each day.
“Every horse does something every day, they either walk, they jog, they gallop, or they breeze,” Koch said.
After they return from the track, the horses are cleaned up, fed and cared for by the people who work with them every day.
Koch manages between 50 and 100 horses through Little Red Feather Racing, depending on the time of year. But his involvement doesn't end when a horse's racing career does.
“We make sure that every horse in at least in Southern California, has a place to go when they're done racing,” Koch said.
For some horses, that means a second career.
“A lot of them become hunter jumpers, they become therapeutic animals for veterans and for children with autism,” Koch said.
One horse in particular stands out to Koch: Red King.
After winning the Del Mar Handicap and eventually retiring from racing, he went on to become a jumper, winning ribbons in his new career.
“I actually went and saw him in Lexington, Kentucky at the Retired Racehorse Project, which is the coolest thing you can imagine,” Koch said. “It was awesome.”
The care, Koch says, starts long before retirement.
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club President Josh Rubenstein says the track has protocols in place to monitor the horses during racing, training and while they're stabled.
“Each horse has its own handler. They're out on the track every day for exercise. They're given two baths a day,” Rubenstein said.
Nearly 2,000 horses can be at Del Mar during the summer season.
When the summer meet ends, many will move on to continue training and racing elsewhere, including Santa Anita Park in Los Angeles.
But the care continues year-round.
“It doesn't matter if there's racing or not. Horses require attention to detail and care on a daily basis,” Rubenstein said. “So while racing may end here on September 7th, the care for these beautiful horses continues on a year-round basis.”
As for Cal, his racing career isn't over yet. Koch believes he'll have a second career waiting for him when that day eventually comes.
“He will definitely have an amazing second career because he's the coolest horse,” Koch said.
For now, Cal has another race ahead of him and another carrot to enjoy.
