Though it is sometimes overshadowed by more famous tracks back East like Churchill downs and Belmont Park, Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California has a rich and fascinating history. Located 20 miles north of San Diego and known for its iconic slogan “Where The Surf Meets the Turf”, Del Mar has not only hosted the best horses and jockeys on the planet but a ‘who’s who’ of show biz elite.

The Del Mar Race Track was founded in the late’30’s by a group of business and show biz elite, including Bing Crosby, Oliver Hardy and Jimmy Durante. During much of the pre WW II era, horse racing ran a close second to baseball in mainstream popularity, so these racing enthusiasts were clearly at the right place at the right time in terms of market forces.

Additionally, the star power involved with the project also provided a trendy cachet that the tonier race courses back East lacked. Bing Crosby himself greeted patrons at the gate on opening day, and during the late’30s and early’40s it became a place to be seen for Hollywood A-listers and those who aspired for celebrity. In addition to known gambling enthusiasts like W.C. Fields, Edgar Bergen and Red Skelton, the Del Mar patrons during that time also included some of the top female stars of the era including Ava Gardner, Paulette Goddard and Dorothy Lamour.

In’38, Del Mar hosted an internationally anticipated match race between Seabiscuit and Ligaroti. This event drew a record crowd and gained worldwide notoriety for the track. Seabiscuit won the $25,000 winner-take-all duel by a nose, and would forever be enshrined in the annals of American popular culture. Horse racing at Del Mar continued to be a smash until the facility went dark in’41 due to World War II. It would remain closed until’45, and for a time was used as a training facility by the military.

After the war, Del Mar reopened with a bang. The track reopened the day after Japan formally surrendered to Allied forces, and on that day Del Mar attracted over 20,000 fans through its gates who wagered what at the time was a record $958,476. The postwar prosperity was also a boon to Del Mar, which also benefitted from the Santa Fe Railroads daily Racetrack Special that brought bettors down from Los Angeles to enjoy a day at the track. During the latter part of the decade a new crop of Hollywood glitterati would flock to Del Mar, including Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Mickey Rooney John Holmes, Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Durante. Durante would become such a regular that the turf course at Del Mar would later be renamed in his honor.

Even though the popularity of horse racing among the mainstream populace would ebb over the years, Del Mar remains a viable part of the thoroughbred community to this day. Theyve updated their facility, with a state of the art grand stand and most recently a synthetic polytrack surface that was installed in 2007. The racing season at Del Mar begins in mid July, and hosts crowds of 20,000+ on a daily basis throughout.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Although many of his offensive records have now been left in the dust by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, former Boston Bruins/New York Rangers center Phil Esposito is still regarded by hockey experts as one of the greatest players in NHL history. He’s forever enshrined in hockey’s hall of fame along with brother, goaltender Tony Esposito.

Esposito was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and his prodigious hockey talent quickly became apparent. He was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a teenager, and made his NHL debut in’64 quickly earning a spot on the teams top line between Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne. In’67, Esposito was traded to the Boston Bruins along with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. Within a few years Hodge and Stanfield blossomed into All Stars, while Esposito quickly took his place alongside his former teammate Hull as the best scorer in the league. Suffice to say that Boston fans were of the opinion that theyd gotten the best of the deal.

It was as a Bruin that ‘Espo’ began his onslaught against the NHL record book.. In’69, he became the first NHL player to top the 100 point mark (combined goals and assists) for the season”he obliterated the record with 126 points, which would be the first of six times that hed top the century mark. He topped 100 points in five straight seasons between’71 and’75, missing a sixth straight season by a single point with 99 in’70.

Esposito’s greatest single season was in’70-71, when he destroyed the NHL’s single season goal scoring mark with 76. That record stood until Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers broke it in’81-82. Even now, only four other players including Gretzky have scored more than 150 points in a season and only five others have scored more than 76 goals in a season. Perhaps the most amazing element of Espositos game was the frequency with which he put the puck on net”Espo had 550 shots on goal in’70-71. No one has since come close.

In’75, Esposito was traded with Brad Park to the New York Rangers for Brad Park, Joe Zanussi and Jean Ratelle. By that point, he had been slowed considerably by knee injuries but his experience, intelligence for the game and nose for the puck made him a valuable component of the Broadway Blueshirts offense and he was named team captain. Until the very end of his career, he remained a dangerous scoring threat that all opposing teams were forced to reckon with.

After his retirement in’75, moved into the executive suite. He served as the GM of the Rangers before helping secure an expansion team for Tampa, Florida in’92. Esposito served as the President and GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning until’98.

Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority onprofessional hockey history and NHL hockey betting . He’s a published expert on sports handicapping theory, as well as financial investment strategy. He contributes to a number of websites providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, mixed martial arts and boxing.

Decades before mixed martial arts became popular in the United States, events matching fighters of different fighting disciplines were very common in Japan. They weren’t called “mixed martial arts” at the time, but that’s essentially what they were.There’s an entire history of pro wrestlers fighting specialists from other martial arts (particularly judo) that were leaving out, but during the’70’s Antonio Inoki began to put the concept of “mixed martial arts” on the map with his matches against fighters from other disciplines.

Inoki billed himself as ‘World Martial Arts Champion’ and would frequently face other high profile fighters in contests that are generally believed to have had a pre-determined outcome similar to professional wrestling. Inoki faced a ‘who’s who’ of the martial arts world, but none were more famous than heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

There are differing accounts of how the best heavyweight boxer in history found himself in a ring in Tokyo’s Budokan Arena against a pro wrestler. One thing is certain–it was viewed as an easy payday for Ali, who’d lost a good chunk of his prime earning years to his controversial stance over the Vietnam war. That’s what got him there in the first place, and that’s what kept him there after the two sides began squabbling over the rules and the outcome of the fight. Some suggest that it was supposed to be a “fair fight” going in and once Ali saw Inoki spar he insisted on rules changes to tilt the fight in his favor. Another more likely version of the story suggests that Ali’s handlers knew that the fight was supposed to be a “work” all along. They made the deal with Inoki’s people based on this fact, and were all on board as to the outcome of the match and how it would “finish”. The “original” plan was to have Inoki win in a controversial manner that would keep his undefeated streak in “MMA” matches intact while allowing Ali to “save face. The only person who wasn’t aware of the game plan, however, was Ali himself. When informed that he was supposed to “take a dive”, even in a convoluted fashion, Ali refused. No agreement was reached between the two camps and at the last minute a legit fight transpired. The promoters were left with a sold out Budokan, a worldwide PPV audience and two fighters who despite every effort to the contrary would actually have to fight each other.

Many conspiracy theorists have noted that these rules were never announced to the crowd on fight night, leaving many with the impression that they were being made up as they went along. Action in the fight would further validate this view, but there actually were rules that both camps agreed to heading into the fight. Not surprisingly, most of these were designed to protect Ali. In fact, they were so one-sided that if Inoki hadn’t been so concerned about preserving his big payday he would have been justified in not fighting. Inoki was prohibited from punching with a closed fist or striking Ali in the head (ostensibly since he wasn’t wearing gloves). Inoki was prohibited from using any sort of submission maneuver. The most absurd limitation was that Inoki was prohibited from “grappling or trying to take Ali to the ground”. A few observers noted that this was like not letting Ali throw a jab.

The result was an absolutely horrible fight. Neither man showed much interest in engaging the other, with Inoki spending most of the time on the ground doing what he could under the one sided rules. Inoki threw kicks at Ali’s legs, Ali threw an occasional jab and tried to protect himself from his opponent’s leg strikes. The fight ended a 74-74 draw, with the real losers being the fans.

Some interesting trivia about the fight–the referee was former pro wrestler “Judo” Gene Labell, who is considered by many ‘the baddest man on the planet’ even in his 80’s. He could have very likely beaten up both men at the same time–a spectacle that might have been welcomed by the live crowd and closed circuit audience worldwide.

In the aftermath of the fight, Inoki’s popularity was greater than ever–in a perverse way he was something of a hero due to his trying to fight despite the rules being stacked so soundly against him. He remained one of the country’s most popular professional wrestlers and even enjoyed a career in Japan’s parliament. Without missing a beat, he quickly resumed his series of fights against other martial artists who were apparently all more comfortable with the “worked” environment of pro wrestling. Among his “victims” was none other than Leon Spinks, presumably serving as some sort of vindication for his draw with Ali. The popularity of these matches led to a number of promotions that were essentially hybrids of martial arts and pro wrestling, and these led to the big Japanese MMA promotions of today.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, entertainment and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett.

New Moon is the sequel for book and Movie Twilight and fans worldwide are looking forward to its release in November. For fans one way to celebrate is to have a release party. This can be a great opportunity to connect with fellow fans and just have a good time. Twilight parties are mostly based off the popular Twilight proms sponsored by the author of the Twilight series Stephanie Meyer. These parties included themes from the book. However, even as a fan you don’t want your party to be the same as the others that will be held this fall. One way to set your event from all the rest is with New Moon Party favors. So how do you go about integrating these favors into your party planning? Here are some great suggestions to help you out.

Think about the New Moon theme you want to use. There are two major plots for New Moon. The first is the tension between vampires and the werewolf shapes shifters of the La Push reservation near Forks. It turns out that they are actually ancient enemies and this add even more tension to the love triangle that develops between Bella, Jacob, and Edward. The other plot is the race to stop Edward from having himself killed by the Volturi, a powerful coven of vampires who are considered the ruling body of the vampire world. You can choose favors that reflect the vampire versus werewolf theme and choose items that reflect the Renaissance and an ancient Italian city. This will be sure to make your favors unique and original.

Another source of inspiration is the legend that tells the origin of the La Push reservation werewolves. You can give favors that have Native American themes. Try to find some that have images of shape shifters and wolves. A major part of giving original and unique Twilight favors is staying faithful to the Twilight storyline and paying attention to detail. Hardcore fans will instantly know the meaning behind the gifts and value them even more.

Candy is another great idea for New Moon party favors. Try to get candy in the shape of wolves and bats and other motifs that are similar to those found in New Moon. A great item to get is limited edition Twilight candy jars. These will not only be great containers for your candy but also a delicious option for your guests. Some of them will have limited edition sticker with pictures of the characters from the movie. One that is sure to be popular is Jacob in his new look for New Moon.

A great option for New Moon favors are items that are of use to guests in everyday life. This is a great idea because these gifts will not only be something that matches the theme but something your guest will find use for and not just casually toss away. A great example is Twilight themed Key Chains. These are items that anyone who uses keys for one purpose or another will appreciate. Another great item is lip balm. As the winter season approaches this is something everyone will want to use in order to avoid chapped lips. These are just some of the items that you can give to your guests. They will be sure to be quite popular.

If you are hosting a Twilight party and looking for Twilight Party Favors, E-WeddingFavors.com has the biggest selection of unique Twilight party favors, supplies and much more. These products are one of a kind and are all at a very affordable prices under dollar or two.

This fall Twilight fans everywhere are anticipating the release of the Twilight sequel New Moon to theaters this November. One of the main way fans will do so is by throwing Twilight themed parties for Halloween, Birthdays, or just day of release parties. Each party will try to make the event a fun and unforgettable experience for everyone involved. One way this will be done is by giving special and original Twilight Favors. These items are gifts that you traditionally give as thanks to guests for coming to your party. In this case a great way to thank fellow Twilight fans who came to your event with special collectibles. Here are some great suggestions for Twilight party favors.

A great idea is to give promotional merchandise from the movies as favors. Depending on how much you can afford you can buy posters, toys, and other items that the movie studio has contracted to be made to promote the Twilight franchise. A great place to look is at your local supermarket or party supply store. With a second movie in the Twilight franchise coming up, you will be sure to find some great items near you.

Try also looking on the internet. The big thing in retail is online shopping. It has been around for awhile but this year it has really started to hit its stride. The best thing about looking for your Twilight favors online is the wide selection available to you. If you know where to look, you will be able to find interesting items that can’t be found by normal means. You also can take advantage of comparison shopping. If you do choose to for more generic options you will be able to look at different web sites and compare prices. This way you can find what you need at the best prices.

Look for items that have images of the movie characters. One of the big things for Twilight favors is finding items that have pictures of the key characters in the franchise. The key people are of course Edward Cullen played by Robert Patterson; Bella Swan played by actress Kristen Stewart, and Jacob Black played by Taylor Lautner. There are tons of pictures of these three that you can find online or at local venues. If you can give party favors with these three on them you are good to go.

The Twilight movie franchise is based on the novel series by Stephenie Meyers so also try to find favors that correspond to the book series as well. One thing to do is to give out music downloads of the authors playlists at your party. These are the series of songs that helped inspire Ms. Meyer as she wrote the Twilight books. This is a great idea especially if some of your guests are not aware of the website with the playlist. You can also use limited edition posters of the book covers as favors.

Another great idea for party favors is edible treats. While giving guests collectible items is a good idea, why not also give them something delicious to take home as well? The main rule of thumb is to make sure that the edible favors you give match the Twilight theme. For example you can give bags of red juice that looks like fake blood, or trail mix that looks like Dog kibble to represent where wolves. There are also limited edition mints and candies that can be given.

If you are hosting a Twilight party and looking for Twilight Party Favors, E-WeddingFavors.com has the biggest selection of unique Twilight party favors, supplies and much more. These products are one of a kind and are all at a very affordable prices under dollar or two.