When Bing Crosby first came to North County San Diego, he was already a man of leisure and legend.

The world knew him as a crooner with an effortless charm, a golfer with a smooth swing, and a celebrity with a penchant for creating community wherever he went. In Rancho Santa Fe, he helped birth the modern Pro-Am format — a casual blend of competition and camaraderie that changed golf forever. But just a few miles west, Crosby’s imagination was galloping toward another dream. This time, the stage wasn’t manicured fairways — it was the rhythmic thunder of hooves and the shimmer of the Pacific just beyond the rails.

This is the story of Del Mar, “where the turf meets the surf,” and how Bing Crosby’s touch turned a sleepy stretch of coastline into a playground of glamour, sport, and enduring tradition — one that continues today as Del Mar prepares to host the Breeders’ Cup Fall Meet once again.

The Crooner and the Coastline

In the mid-1930s, North County was more postcard than metropolis — rolling hills, citrus groves, and a salty breeze that hinted at possibility. Crosby, already settled among the eucalyptus of Rancho Santa Fe, saw that possibility not just as a resident but as a builder. Golf had given him community, but racing offered a stage for spectacle. With his close friend and business partner, William A. Quigley, Crosby envisioned a racetrack that would blend Hollywood sparkle with small-town charm — a place where starlets might mingle with ranch hands, and the soundtrack was as likely to be laughter as the pounding of hooves.

In 1936, the Del Mar Turf Club was born, with Bing as its president and an all-star Hollywood board that included Gary Cooper, Oliver Hardy, and Pat O’Brien. The following summer, on July 3, 1937, the gates swung open for the first time. Patrons arriving that day were greeted — quite literally — by Bing himself, smiling and collecting tickets at the front gate. The man could have been anywhere in the world, but he wanted to be there, welcoming his guests to his newest creation.

Where the Turf Met the Surf (and Hollywood Met San Diego)

Del Mar was unlike anything the racing world had seen. The track was built in Spanish Colonial Revival style, mirroring the coastal missions, yet humming with Hollywood glamour. “Where the Surf Meets the Turf,” a line co-written by Crosby himself, became its official anthem — and it still rings through the grandstands nearly ninety years later.

The seaside venue quickly became a magnet for stars and locals alike. Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and Dorothy Lamour strolled the paddock; soldiers on leave from nearby bases filled the stands. The cocktail of sunshine, celebrity, and competition created a uniquely Southern Californian allure — an oasis where the races were just the beginning of the show.

The defining moment of Del Mar’s early years came in 1938, when Crosby and his partner arranged a now-legendary match race between Seabiscuit and Ligaroti (co-owned by Crosby). It was broadcast nationwide on NBC, drawing more than 20,000 spectators to the track. The duel was fierce, the crowd electric, and in that instant, Del Mar wasn’t just a regional novelty — it was on the national stage. That race transformed Del Mar from a seaside diversion into an institution.

Crosby’s North County Legacy

Though Crosby sold his stake in the Turf Club a decade later, his imprint on the region never faded. His love of San Diego’s North County helped shape its character — refined but friendly, exclusive yet inviting. He wasn’t merely a patron of sport; he was a builder of culture.

By the time the 1940s rolled in, Crosby had managed to connect two worlds that rarely mingled: the rural ranchlands of San Diego and the bright lights of Hollywood. Through him, North County found its rhythm — a pace that balanced prestige with play, ambition with ease. The same spirit that made Rancho Santa Fe synonymous with world-class golf also made Del Mar the West Coast’s answer to Churchill Downs.

A Modern Revival: The Breeders’ Cup Returns

Fast-forward to today, and Crosby’s dream is alive and thundering. Each year, Del Mar continues to open its gates to new generations of fans — but there’s something especially electric about Breeders’ Cup season.

This fall, the world’s best horses, jockeys, and trainers will return to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Fall Meet (October 30 – November 30, 2025), a global celebration of speed and style. For the third time in less than a decade, Del Mar will host this crown jewel of international racing, bringing with it the buzz of big purses, global media, and the kind of elegance Crosby himself would have relished.

And fittingly, it all happens during what’s now known as the “Bing Crosby Season” — a fall meet named in his honor, celebrating the man whose imagination once made this stretch of coastline sing. For locals, it’s not just about racing; it’s a reminder of what Del Mar has always been — a meeting place of sport, sunshine, and soul.

From Rancho Santa Fe to Del Mar: The Spirit Lives On

There’s a poetic symmetry in how Bing Crosby’s story continues to echo through North County. In Rancho Santa Fe, he redefined golf; in Del Mar, he reinvented racing. Both endeavors carried the same throughline — a sense of camaraderie, community, and quiet showmanship.

Walk the fairways of the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club or the infield at Del Mar, and you’ll find traces of his vision still humming beneath the surface. The laughter of a clubhouse crowd, the cheer from a stretch run, the easy blend of elegance and leisure — it’s all part of the world Bing Crosby helped build.

So when the gates swing open this fall and the world’s eyes turn once again to Del Mar, remember that the track’s soul was born from a song — and the man who sang it.