Donna Herrick, longtime Del Mar owner, dies at 97

Donna Herrick was more than a longtime Del Mar owner. For more than 30 years, she and Bill Herrick held a fifth-floor suite at the seaside track and became fixtures in the Southern California racing scene, the kind of presence that outlasts a meet and becomes part of a place’s identity. Herrick died April 15 at 97, surrounded by family.

The Herricks’ stable left a real mark on the record book. Magnum and Nuclear Debate were Grade 2 winners, while Robyn Dancer, Classy Women, Lasersport and Short Route all won at Grade 3 level. Robyn Dancer finished third in the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Magnum ran second in the 2006 Santa Anita Handicap behind Lava Man, and Medici Code won the 2007 Del Mar Derby. Those results put the Herrick name on some of the region’s biggest stages, from Santa Anita Park to Del Mar.

What made Donna Herrick stand out in a sport built on turnover was the length of her commitment. She had been a Del Mar Thoroughbred Club member for more than 30 years, and her long association with the club linked her to generations of horsemen, owners and summer regulars who treated Del Mar as home. In a game where many ownership groups cycle in and out quickly, Herrick remained a familiar face through multiple eras of California racing.

The family connection carried forward as well. Susie Galland remains active as an owner, and Joan and George Scott have continued their own family racing interests. Herrick is survived by six children, Kathy Lathrum, Joan Scott, Bill Herrick, Leann Van Langen, Susie Galland and Joe Herrick, along with 20 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Her life traced a line from one generation of Southern California racing to the next, with Del Mar at the center of it all.