Del Mar Opening Day’s winning scene

Traffic-stopping hats. Reluctant spirit guides. Loyal sherpas, sincere bathroom testimonials and a purple suit that makes its own luck. When you pop the lid on opening day at the Del Mar Racetrack, you never know what is going to jump out. And on Thursday, the hats were just the tip of the insanity iceberg.

Eight days after some 130,000 Comic-Con fans transformed downtown San Diego into a massive masked ball, 40,000 or so members of the horse, hats and heels set (a happy mob that included Caitlyn Jenner) transformed the Del Mar Fairgrounds into Pretty People Party Central. The racetrack turns 76 this year, but like the ageless regulars who glide through the Turf Club with nary a wrinkle in their linen suits (or anywhere else), opening day is as cocktail-happy and fashion-obsessed as ever.

This jampacked jamboree is also just a wee bit crazy. So with a tip of the cap to the event’s signature Opening Day Hat Contest, we bring you the first annual Hat’s Off Awards. Because when you’re losing your mind at the racetrack, why should the headgear have all the fun?

View the photo gallery: Del Mar Opening Day 2015

Support-system sweepstakes champ: With her perfect posture, posing prowess and towering flower-garden hat, Ana Flora Royer of Escondido looked like a winner already. She was the must-have photo of the day, and the racetrack hadn’t even opened yet.

A longtime hat contest participant, Royer was the grand-prize winner in 2004, and she has learned a thing or two about how to survive the chapeau wars in style.

“I will never do fresh flowers again. The one time I used them, I had to keep spraying my hat all day to make it look fresh. Also, you should always bring a spare hat,” she said, pointing at the unassuming little straw number she brought to give her head a break. “You would just die if you wore this big thing all day.”

View the photo gallery: 70 best hats at Del Mar 2015

But for all the crowd-pleasing power of her massive faux flower and netting creation, Royer’s secret weapon was the quiet man in charge of hauling and guarding her hat-contest stuff. It was her husband, Roy, and he knows a thing or two about how to keep a thoroughbred designer in the race.

“I love my wife, so I’m always going to be there to support her,” Royer said after bringing a second load of opening-day supplies from the car to the contest-registration site. “Happy wife, happy life.”

Best sartorial story: For their entry in the “Most Glamorous” category, Craig Way and daughter Ashley opted for the classics. She wore a halter sundress and a wide-brimmed black straw hat trimmed with fresh gerbera daisies. He wore a black top hat trimmed with Dendrobium orchids and a purple suit purchased on Hollywood Boulevard and approved by rock stars.

“I bought this because I was going to see the B-52’s and all of their album covers had such vibrant colors. I got in the front row at Pechanga with all my B-52’s albums, and they noticed me right away. They said, ‘Get that guy in the purple suit and we’ll sign everything,’” the Temecula real estate broker remembered fondly. “This is my favorite suit. It speaks for itself.”

Least-helpful tipster: From his prime location along the rail of the paddock, Bob Jackson could watch the horses go by and perhaps do a little handicapping. Sadly, the Simi Valley man had to do his own betting grunt work. Maybe the odds were in his favor and maybe they weren’t, but the spirits were definitely not cooperating.

“I have a friend whose ashes are strewn down the front straightaway (of the track),” the retired journalist said, adding that he does not condone illegal ash strewing. “I’ve been here a few times since then, and I keep talking to her spirit about maybe giving me a little help. But she hasn’t helped me with anything.”

Most-helpful tipster: For handicapping advice courtesy of a live person, head for the Plaza de Mexico for the “Newcomers’ Seminars,” which are held daily, one hour before the first race. Grab a seat under the tent, and racing expert Frank Scatoni will tell you how to understand the odds, how to read the racing program and what to look for when you watch the horses at the paddock.

Energy is good, skittishness is bad. A shiny coat is good, a sweaty coat is not. Ears should be pricked forward, eyes should be calm and focused, and the tail should not be swishing. And speaking of focus, make sure to look up from your nachos when Scatoni shares this piece of advice.

“It is very easy to have fun at the racetrack,” he warned. “But winning money if you don’t know what you’re doing is more difficult.”

Best unsolicited testimonial: The exclusive Turf Club has an intimidating, old-money vibe and a denim- and athletic-shoe averse dress code that rules out most of what most of us have in our closets. But the Turf Club’s ladies room is a welcoming cocoon of flattering lighting, comfortable chairs and sisterly bonding.

In the Turf Club ladies room, everyone loves your dress, your shoes are always adorable and your hat? Total perfection. It is also the kind of place where a pretty blonde stranger will sum up the appeal of opening day in the 30 seconds it takes to make her hair just that much more perfect.

“Isn’t this the best? The best people-watching, the best atmosphere and the best weather. We are all so lucky to live in San Diego. Thank you, God,” she said, lifting her eyes skyward. Then she was off to the races.