The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters recently announced that Joe Harper, who has led the
Harper, chief executive officer of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, will receive the Award of Merit at the 48th annual Eclipse Awards Dinner and Ceremony honoring the 2018 champions of Thoroughbred racing on Thursday, Jan. 24, at Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Since coming on board in an executive capacity at Del Mar in 1978, Harper has guided the seaside track—founded in 1937 and bordering the Pacific Ocean just north of San Diego—through a period of sustained growth and success to become one of the leading facilities in North America.
“American Racing has the tradition of Saratoga, the history of the
Under Harper’s stewardship, Del Mar has grown to the point that it now offers some of the west’s best racing, as well as its highest overall average daily purse structure, which in turn has led to robust handle figures. In recent years the track also has taken a prominent position in health and safety measures for its horses and riders that have proven highly effective and been emulated by others in the industry.
Some of the other signature accomplishments under Harper at the helm of the DMTC include:
The creation of the $1 million Pacific Classic in 1990, which became the track’s signature race and quickly established itself as one of America’s most important races during the second half of the sport’s calendar;
Reconstruction and opening of a new $80 million grandstand during 1991-1993 to further enhance the comfort and convenience of the facility;
Creation of the “Cool as Ever” marketing campaign, which further expanded the track’s popularity and prominence beyond horse racing;
Addition of a fall meeting following the closing of Hollywood Park, a move that helped preserve year-round racing in Southern California; and
Hosting a record-setting 2017 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
“I’m certainly honored to be selected for an award that has gone previously to so many exceptional people in our wonderful world of horse racing,” said the 75-year-old Harper. “But I’d like everyone to know that I am going to accept it on behalf of the incredible employees of Del Mar who have – for over all the years – been the backbone of our success. My first job at Del Mar was as a cinema photographer during the 1967 summer meet. I saw and could tell right away that this was a family working together for a good cause that they all believed in. I think we’ve been successful in keeping it that way for the half century or so I’ve been involved with it.”
In addition to his work for Del Mar over the years, Harper also is involved in a wide range of industry and community activities. He is a member of The Jockey Club, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the Advisory Board for the
Harper and his wife of 55 years, Barbara, live in Del Mar. They have four daughters and nine grandchildren.
Eclipse Awards tickets are available for $425 each or $4,000 for a table of 10. Blocks of rooms have been reserved for Eclipse Awards guests at the JW Marriott (formerly the Turnberry Isle Resort) in Aventura, Fla. Additional details can be found on the NTRA website at NTRA.com/eclipse-awards.
For more information, visit bit.ly/2QTHw7G
—News release
