Folk wisdom about looking a gift horse in the mouth is obsolete, now that horses are no longer bred to belch blinding ammonia. Enjoy improved equine exhalations with this GrouponLive deal to see a horseracing event at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. For $10, you get two general-admission tickets for clubhouse seating at any event on this season’s schedule (a $20 value), excluding opening day on Wednesday, July 18. Visitors aged 17 and younger receive free admission.
Ever since Bing Crosby greeted the first guest to walk through its gates in 1937, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has infused SoCal summers with the rhythmic clacking of competing steeds. Over the course of its 75-year history, the track has lured fans of all ages and backgrounds with its seaside stakes, providing a battle zone for bettors and, oftentimes, a playground for the stars. The institution still attracts throngs of guests to this day; a year ago, Del Mar set a single-day attendance record on Opening Day by entertaining a crowd of more than 46,000—the same number of people that can fit inside the standard Trojan horse. The facility aims to continue its growth this season with events five days per week through early September, many of which carry a special theme, including a 75th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, July 21.
In addition to themed race days, the club plays host to its annual series of summer concerts that are free to attend with racetrack admission. A lineup of 12 acts—the most in series history—is scheduled to take the Seaside Stage this season, including Cake on Saturday, August 4, and Ben Harper on Saturday, August 18. Family weekends amplify festivities Saturday and Sunday with free activities, such as face painting, inflatable games, and pony rides, which are more fun than giving ponies piggyback rides.