When the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission meets Feb. 9, members will be given an update on the investigation into Life At Ten’s participation in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr. I).
Lisa Underwood, executive director of the KHRC, said Feb. 1 that the investigation is continuing and that the full final report, along with any recommendations for the commission to consider, will not be presented next week.
“There is a tremendous amount that has been done, and we will report on where we’re at,” Underwood said.
Life At Ten, a mare owned by Candy DeBartolo and trained by Todd Pletcher, finished last in the Ladies’ Classic as the second choice at odds of 7-2 in the Nov. 5 race at Churchill Downs. With jockey John Velazquez aboard, Life At Ten had no run when the field left the gate, and she was not persevered with throughout the 1 1/8-mile race.
Before the race, Velazquez told retired jockey Jerry Bailey, who was assisting with the ESPN coverage of the Breeders’ Cup, that the filly did not look right, but he apparently did not relay those concerns to the stewards or any KHRC veterinarians.
The Office of the Inspector General in the Kentucky Transportation Department is also assisting the KHRC in its probe.
Though the commission staff, under direction of its director of security, is conducting the bulk of the investigation, the Transportation Department official was brought in to handle the role of the stewards in the Life At Ten matter, according to Lisa Underwood, executive director of the KHRC.
