“Write this down,” Chris Moore said.

She was serious.

The wife of Dennis Moore, the track superintendent who will prepare the racing surfaces for the upcoming Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, was speaking of her husband’s love of his sport, of his dedication to the lives of horses and horsemen, of his commitment to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

“Google the Ruidoso Downs flood and watch it on YouTube,” Chris said. “It will give you a whole new respect for my husband.”


The video from July of 2008 reveals that the racetrack in the hills of southern New Mexico was badly flooded after the remnants of Hurricane Dolly dumped rain on the area for 33 straight hours. In the aftermath, about one-third of the racetrack was underwater.

Dennis Moore was the superintendent of Hollywood Park at the time. He and Chris, then a kindergarten teacher, were about to leave on much-needed vacation in Hawaii.

Then Dennis got the call from Ruidoso Downs. They needed him. Badly.

“He rebuilt that racetrack in four days,” Chris said with obvious pride in her voice. “He’s the best there is. He is ethical. He is moral. He’s the most loyal of employees.”


She recalled that a month after the flood, Dennis returned to Ruidoso, but forgot his heart medication. He went to the Walmart there to pick up a prescription, and the pharmacist also happened to be the town’s mayor.

Dennis tried to pay, but the mayor wouldn’t take his money.

“Son, we owe you,” he said. “You saved this town from not having racing.”

Moore made a different kind of save at Del Mar this year.


Following the deaths of 17 horses during the summer meet of 2016 and the bad publicity that came with it, Del Mar CEO and President Joe Harper went searching for answers to make the racing safer, and he convinced Moore to give up his down time as the superintendent at Santa Anita to do an overhaul of the dirt track at Del Mar and oversee the entire meet.

Moore’s work would be under intense scrutiny.

“I’ve had two heart attacks and seven stents put in. I always feel the pressure,” Moore said.

The result of Moore’s work and numerous others: five fatal breakdowns (not including one horse’s heart attack) — three coming during racing on the dirt and another in training.


A “night and day” difference, Harper called it.

“I think it went well,” Moore said. “The fatalities were way down, and that’s what we wanted. I’d rather not have any fatalities, but some things you can’t control. Horses are going to break down.”

The turnaround came at probably the most critical time in Del Mar’s history. The summer meet was a buildup for the track’s first hosting of the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 3-4. Owners and their horses from around the world will gather here for 13 races worth $28 million.

Moore has prepared tracks for the Breeders’ Cup three previous times — once at Hollywood Park and twice at Santa Anita, and he’s experienced only one breakdown, last year.


“The Breeders’ Cup is probably the biggest day in racing there is, and sure you feel that because of the attention of the media and everything,” Moore said. “To me, every day is as important as Breeders’ Cup day.

“I’m not trying to downplay the Breeders’ Cup. But anytime you know that somebody’s life, an animal’s life is on the line, you’re always on edge, and you never want to see anything happen.”

On Oct. 6, Moore and his crew began preparing the Del Mar track for the Bing Crosby season that begins on Nov. 1. He said he expects the work and the track conditions to be “exactly the same” as they were for the summer racing.

The key efforts on the racing surface were made earlier in the year, when the track was scraped to its base while the banks on the turns were increased. Moore found some inconsistencies in how smooth it was, and those repairs were made and then checked with high-grade engineering equipment.


The 3½-inch cushion of dirt that is called the pad was added, and it was checked every day of racing for its moisture content.

Moore points out that tremendous strides have been made over time in the scientific approach to the track. He has worked closely with Dr. Mick Peterson, who has done extensive research into the biomechanics of horses and their interaction with racing surfaces.

Too, Moore said he only contributed to what was an overall better program at Del Mar in the summer. It included more breaks during the morning workouts so the track could be smoothed and greater scrutiny of horses by veterinarians and track officials.

“A complete team effort,” Moore said.


While Moore insists the Del Mar dirt track was very similar to Santa Anita’s, there were concerns among some handicappers and horsemen that the horses responded differently to it than in the past.

That speculation was further fueled when trainer Bob Baffert’s Arrogate, the No. 1 horse in the world, lost twice during the meet.

Arrogate is expected to return to Del Mar and be among the contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Overall, the response was pretty positive,” Moore said. “I had some guys who weren’t happy with the surface, but you could run on goose feathers and somebody’s not going to be happy with it.


“That’s part of the game. I couldn’t care less about who the leading trainer or leading jockey is. All I care about is that everybody is walking back under their own power (after a race). We always talk about horse fatalities, but there is a human being on that horse’s back. There’s more chance of a rider suffering a life-threatening injury, and that’s paramount.”

Moore, 67, has been a part of the horse racing industry since childhood. His late father, Bob Moore, started working on the track at Hollywood Park in 1946 and Dennis was born three years later. Dennis’ brother, Ron, has also worked at the Southern California tracks. Rob Moore, Dennis’ son, currently does track maintenance at Santa Anita.

“I’ve always enjoyed being around the people in horse racing,” Dennis Moore said. “And I enjoy the challenge.”

You have to love it to do this kind of work. At Del Mar in the summer, for instance, he got to the track at 5:30 in the morning and often didn’t leave until 6:30 at night. For Santa Anita and Del Mar, he stays in a hotel several nights a week because his family lives in Temecula.


“He gets up when he’s tired and when he doesn’t have any gas in the engine,” said Chris, married to Dennis for 48 years after they were sweethearts at Bellflower High. “He always goes 110 percent. That’s what drew me to him. He was always a go-getter.”

That drive hasn’t always served Moore well. He has suffered two heart attacks and Chris said, tearfully, “There is no medical reason why he should still be here.

“Every day is another gift,” she said.

The Moores share their blessings with others. Their daughter, Kristin, 45, is developmentally disabled, and in 1991 she began attending the REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program in Fallbrook. They have been involved ever since, with both Chris and Kristin regularly volunteering their time.


The program uses horses of all kinds, including those retired from racing, and Chris said she sees some amazing transformations in people. One woman continues to ride after two hip replacements while suffering from Parkinson’s. Kids with weak leg muscles are made stronger. Children with autism speak for the first time while riding.

“It fills your soul,” Chris said, “to see the magic that happens between a horse and a disabled rider.”

The common denominator in it all is horses and the Moores’ love for them. Decades after being welcomed into racing’s family, Chris still marvels at the life she’s made with Dennis.

“It’s a great, great sport,” she said, “and I’m proud to be married to a guy who makes a difference in it.”


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tod.leonard@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutleonard