Earlier Friday Post Times at Del Mar this Summer

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 11:43 am

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club kicked off it's annual summer season Friday, July 15, 2016 to the delight of thousands of fans and visitors. The seaside track in Del Mar, CA races Wednesday through Sunday through and including Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5, 2016. Accelerant and jockey Santiago Gonzalez (second from left) won the first race of the meet and returned $17.80 to his backers. ©Benoit Photo

First post time on Fridays at Del Mar this summer will be 2 p.m. PT, two hours earlier than the day's 4 p.m. start time in recent years, and in line with first post times the rest of the week. In announcing the change Wednesday, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said it was made to provide fans, horsemen and women, and industry partners with a streamlined schedule.

Del Mar's 2026 summer meet begins July 17 and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Closing weekend–Sept. 5 through 7–will be the only deviation from the 2 p.m. post time, with races kicking off at 1:30 p.m. each day.