Do Not Swipe Left gives Herrick first Del Mar win since Lilac Fire

A win by Do Not Swipe Left in the 11th race Aug. 9, at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club gave trainer Joe Herrick his first victory at Del Mar since Herrick was burned in the December 2017 Lilac Fire.

The race was also the first for Do Not Swipe Left in 11 months. The 4-year-old won the seven-furlong dirt race in 1:23.49 and defeated second-place Leprino by a nose.

"He ran his eyeballs out," Herrick said. "He ran the race of his life."

Do Not Swipe Left was foaled in Kentucky April 25, 2016. He was sired by Midshipman out of Angels' Share. His first race was a one-mile dirt contest at Santa Anita Park April 13, 2019; Do Not Swipe Left finished fourth among the six horses. He then finished 10th, eighth and sixth in his next three starts.

His fifth start was Aug. 31, 2019, at Santa Anita, and he took fourth in that 6 1/2-furlong dirt race.

"He didn't show that much finish," Herrick said. "What we were doing wasn't working, so we gelded him."

The castration turned out to be for pain relief rather than for hormone control.

"During the operation, they discovered there was bruising and scar tissue present," Herrick said.

That evidence indicated physical problems before being gelded.

"I was pretty sure that was holding him back," Herrick said. "When he ran his testicles would hurt him. It had to be very painful."

An abscess in February extended the layup.

"I just completely started over with him," Herrick said.

Starting over with a horse is typically a three-month to four-month process.

"It takes time to get a horse ready," Herrick said.

Do Not Swipe Left was also wearing out his shoes and the matting of his stall.

"He would pace back and forth so hard," Herrick said. "We gave him an outside pen, so he was much more relaxed outside than in a stall."

The changes seemed to benefit Do Not Swipe Left.

"He was working like a much better horse, a much different horse," Herrick said.

One of the other trainers had a goat he brought for one of his fillies, but the filly didn't like the goat. Herrick placed the goat with Do Not Swipe Left.

"My horse liked him," Herrick said. "Now they're best of friends."

The importance of the goat was shown when Do Not Swipe Left was shipped to Del Mar, Aug. 7.

"I had to ship him there without the goat. Found out pretty quickly, he needed the goat," Herrick said. "I thought I could go to Del Mar without the goat, and it became apparent the horse wasn't going to settle in without the goat."

Herrick arranged for the goat to be shipped to Del Mar while Do Not Swipe Left was being given a bath.

"When he went back into his barn, he settled in," Herrick said.

The goat also arrived at Del Mar, Aug. 7. Herrick used the next day to acclimate the horse to the track.

A new California Horse Racing Board rule allows a horse who has not raced in the previous six months to be entered in a claiming race at the same price as their last race without being claimed. The 11th race Aug. 9 was a maiden race for 3-year-olds and upward and had a claiming price of $20,000, which was the same claiming price as Do Not Swipe Left's previous race.

"I was hopeful that he was going to show what he was capable of doing," Herrick said.

Leprino was trained by Richard Mandella and had been purchased for $700,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale in September 2018. Herrick purchased Do Not Swipe Left for $50,000 at the April 2018 Barrett's sale for 2-year-olds in training.

"Richard Mandella saddled a heavy favorite," Herrick said. "It was kind of like David versus Goliath."

Iggy Puglisi rode Do Not Swipe Left for the horse's five 2019 races. Puglisi has not raced since March, and Eswan Flores was the jockey for Do Not Swipe Left in the Aug. 9 race.

"Eswan knew he was getting on the right horse," Herrick said.

Herrick minimized his instructions to Flores.

"My exercise rider had actually told Eswan how good the horse had been training," Herrick said.

Salvador De Alba is the exercise rider and is also the father of former jockey Cesar De Alba, who is friends with Flores. Cesar De Alba rode two of Herrick's five previous winners at Del Mar.

"I just kind of confirmed my exercise rider's feeling," Herrick said. "I told him how well he's been working."

Flores and Do Not Swipe Left broke third among the 12 horses in the race.

"We were going to be aggressive early and let him go to the front," Herrick said.

Jack Cool, who was ridden by Evan Roman, broke first.

Do Not Swipe Left was in the lead a quarter of a mile into the race, although his time of 22.18 seconds was faster than Herrick had desired as the quick start allowed Do Not Swipe Left to be half a length ahead of Jack Cool after the first two furlongs.

"Another long shot came up and pushed early," Herrick said.

Jack Cool was the superlative long shot with post time odds of 65.2:1. Do Not Swipe Left had 17:1 odds. Do Not Swipe Left became Herrick's first winner on the Del Mar dirt course since Short Route and De Alba won at 52.1:1 odds.

"It would have been nice to have him alone on the lead," Herrick said.

Jack Cool remained in second for the next quarter of a mile. The first half-mile took Do Not Swipe Left 45.40 seconds, and he led Jack Cool by half a length.

"He was in the front all the way," Herrick said.

Jack Cool fell back before the stretch and was seventh entering the stretch. Leprino and Roman, who were fifth after a quarter of a mile and after half a mile, were in second entering the stretch and trailed Do Not Swipe Left by half a length at that point. Do Not Swipe Left entered the stretch 1:10.60 after the starter's gate was opened.

"Do Not Swipe Left just kept fighting and finding more," Herrick said. "He kicked away by a length and a half."

Although Do Not Swipe Left had only a nose margin over Leprino, Leprino crossed the finish line 7 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Next Revolt, who finished seven lengths ahead of fourth-place Prince Ricky.

"For him to finish that strong I was very impressed with his effort," Herrick said.

Mandella complimented Herrick after the race. Herrick's response recognized Mandella's skill. "It's not like winning four Breeders' Cups in one day, but I'll take it," Herrick said.

Mandella won four Breeders' Cup races in 2003.

First place paid $11,400 from the $19,000 total purse and brought the career earnings for Do Not Swipe Left to $17,013.

The win will allow Herrick to enter Do Not Swipe Left in allowance races and avoid claiming races.

"I've had a lot of success going 7/8 (of a mile) or 7 1/2 (furlongs)," Herrick said. "I think eventually this horse will stretch out and get to a mile."

The race was Herrick's first at Del Mar this year. He had 16 starts at Del Mar in 2018 and 2019.

"It is nice to win back here at Del Mar," Herrick said. "Del Mar helped us out so much after the fire."

Herrick had three starts in the 2018 summer meet, seven starts in the 2018 fall meet, five starts in the 2019 summer meet and one start in the 2019 fall meet. He had four starts at Del Mar in the two 2017 meets and two of those were second-place finishes. Herrick finished second with Ral Rue, who perished in the Lilac Fire, during the 2017 Del Mar summer meet. Ral Rue finished second in three of his final four races.

"Every race he'd run second," Herrick said.

Ral Rue raced 14 times during his career and finished second four times. His initial second-place finish was his closest to a win.

"He missed by a nose. It looked like he won the race," Herrick said.

During the 2017 Del Mar fall meet Herrick had a second-place result with Lovely Finish, who was burned in the Lilac Fire but survived. Lovely Finish also finished second in a 2018 Del Mar fall meet race.

Do Not Swipe Left gave Herrick 53 victories in 611 career races including six wins in 128 career Del Mar races.

"When they run a winning race, you've got to be satisfied whether they win or not. A lot can happen in a race," Herrick said. "If your horses are running well and trying that means they're going to win eventually."

The Aug. 9 race was the 10th for Herrick this year. He had two 2019 wins at Los Alamitos Race Course, which were his only previous victories since the Lilac Fire.

Short Heat Wave gave Herrick his previous Del Mar victory Aug. 19, 2015. The total purse for that 1 3/8-mile turf race including bonuses for California-bred horses was $94,100. Short Heat Wave was foaled in California, and first place gave Herrick's team $56,160.

"What a big day," Herrick said.

Short Heat Wave is now a trail horse.

"He's enjoying life at my place," Herrick said.

Del Mar substituted the Polytrack surface for the dirt from 2007 to 2014. On Aug. 13, 2011, Spartan Jet won a 5 1/2-furlong race to give Herrick his only trainer victory on Del Mar's Polytrack.

Short Call was the dam for both Short Heat Wave and Short Route, so they are half-siblings. The Aug. 1, 2004, victory for Short Route had been Herrick's previous win on Del Mar's dirt course.

"In the past, it seemed like it was pretty easy to win a race," Herrick said.

Phone in the Zone gave Herrick and De Alba a Sept. 1, 2002, victory at Del Mar for a 6 1/2-furlong dirt race. Herrick's first Del Mar victory was Aug. 2, 2000; Demidoll won a seven-furlong dirt race.

"Winning at Del Mar is always special," Herrick said. "It's very easy to get shut out at Del Mar. It's a very short meet."

An Aug. 21, 1995, race at Del Mar was Herrick's first as a trainer at any track; Kimbala finished sixth among the eight horses. Herrick's first trainer victory was with Iron Peak at Los Alamitos Dec. 3, 1995.

Due to the coronavirus quarantine this year's Del Mar summer meet does not include spectators.

"It's different with no fans," Herrick said.

Not being distracted by thousands of fans screaming as the horses are in the stretch could be an advantage for some horses.

"Usually in the heat of the battle it doesn't affect them much," Herrick said.

A horse who is alone in the lead may be more affected.

"You can see they sometimes react to the crowd," Herrick said.

The empty seats may have been countered by Do Not Swipe Left leading nearly all of the race.

"I was yelling loud enough to make up," Herrick said.

Joe Naiman can be reached by [email protected].