Where the surf meets the turf - and where Arrogate meets his match

Bing Crosby was among the founders of Del Mar in 1937, when the track soon became the Hollywood set's summer playground, and a recording of the long departed crooner's famous racetrack ditty is still piped through the stands before racing every day at the hugely popular southern Californian venue.

Where the surf meets the turf
Down at old Del Mar,
Take a plane, take a train, take a car
There's a smile on every face
And a winner in each race
Where the surf meets the turf at Del Mar

As the song suggests, Del Mar has long been synonymous with a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere. Not today though, if your name happens to be Bob Baffert. Normally the most laidback of trainers, the west-coast legend admits to feeling the pressure as he saddles the world's highest-rated racehorse Arrogate for the $1 million Pacific Classic four weeks after his flop in Grade 2 company at the same venue, when the horse lauded as the second coming couldn't even come in second. Whisper it quietly, but maybe he just doesn't care for this particular surface – which could be problematic as the Breeders' Cup will be held at Del Mar for the first time on November 3-4.