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Crazy Hat Season Continues for Del Mar Racetrack's Upcoming Opening Day

When you see ladies in gargantuan hats invade the swanky SoCal beachside town of Del Mar, it means one thing: The Del Mar Racetrack is open for the season. Get ready for an eyeful of head gear that would make even Princess Beatrice's infamous fugly fascinator look tame because racing action starts July 20.

Last year, more than 660,000 people came out for a day at the races. The lovely seaside track becomes the social event of the summer in those parts and tourists flood the area—sometimes for the entire season—just to hang out there.

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How To Get Tickets To 2011's Belmont Stakes

Unfortunately 2011 will be another year without a Triple Crown winner, as Shackleford was able to beat out Animal Kingdom in the Preakness over the weekend. However, that doesn’t make the Belmont Stakes any less interesting. This year’s race takes place in just about two weeks on Saturday, June 11 in Elmont, New York—that’s right at the base of Long Island. They’ve been running the Belmont Stakes since around 1867, so you know it’s kind of a big deal.

Thankfully there are still plenty of tickets available, but it’s a bummer that they’re only available through Ticketmaster. This means be prepared to spend your drinking money on service fees and convenience charges. The cheapest seats will get you access to the grandstand for just about $25 per person, which is best for those needing to save some cash for a little bit of wagering during the race.

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Last-Minute Kentucky Derby Tickets are Only $40

We're less than a week away from the Kentucky Derby, or as we prefer to think of it this year, the second time in a month when we'll be permitted to wear big, stupid hats (the first being The Royal Wedding). Although it's a tad too late to score the best boxes where the mint juleps come served in proper silver cups, there's plenty of tickets left for the infield, aka general admission, for the big horserace on Saturday, May 7.

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How To Get Tickets To This Year's Kentucky Derby

The Final Four is over, so it’s time to look forward one of the next big sporting events. The Kentucky Derby is just over a month away, so if you’ve haven’t made plans to get yourself to Churchill Downs now is the time to do so. We’ll let you know how to get tickets and access to the first leg of the Triple Crown, but then we're relying on you to figure out where to buy the appropriate hat.

We always kind of assumed that getting tickets to the Derby was going to be pretty challenging, but it’s actually not too tricky at all. There’s still plenty of seats available too, so no need to resort to hitting the ticket brokers and scalpers in the parking lot.

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See Horses, Crazy Hats and Cougars at SoCal's Del Mar Racetrack

Despite being home to the famed Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs isn't the only racetrack around. The Del Mar Racetrack does it up SoCal style, with a picturesque spot along the coast of Del Mar and fitting activities like a Miss Cougar contest. But that's not to say this track doesn't have serious race roots; Seabiscuit ran here in 1938.

Del Mark kicks off its 71st season on July 21. More than 40,000 are expected to attend opening-day festivities with thoroughbreds racing, an over-the-top crazy hat competition and, of course, to see and be seen.

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Opening Today At The Del Mar Race Track: Thoroughbred Races, Big Hats

It's that time of year again, when the Del Mar Race Track opens for the season. The gorgeous race track, built along the even more gorgeous Del Mar coast, is open starting this afternoon through September 9th.

In contrast to some other Southern California tracks we could name *cough* Santa Anita *cough*, Del Mar has a reputation for cultivated classiness. There is an entire site specifically set aside for Scenester Events, with categories like "Lifestyle," "Fashion," and "Wine & Dine." They also emphasize that the race track is a frequent destination for local celebrities.

The track is also very careful to sell itself as a family destination. The first Sunday of this season is a "Family Fun Day" that includes a plush toy giveaway. The subsequent Saturday has a demure microbrew festival and a chili cookoff.

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