Life At Ten: An "update" coming

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Life At Ten, the second betting choice, was never pressed in the race by Velazquez, who had said during a television interview during the post parade that Life At Ten was lethargic.

Considering that Malibu Prayer and Quality Road - and pretty much every Pletcher non-2yo were pressed ... Velazquez deserves a humanitarian award for his lack of effort.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Considering that Malibu Prayer and Quality Road - and pretty much every Pletcher non-2yo were pressed ... Velazquez deserves a humanitarian award for his lack of effort.

I think the problem is he didn't take the lack of effort far enough. He just had to muster up the energy to get all chatty Cathy with Jerry Bailey and then take her into the starting gate.

[Sightseek]

The report outlines a series of communications among stewards, media representatives, and veterinarians in which no veterinarian recalled being told to examine Life At Ten specifically after Velazquez had made his comments to ESPN, despite a phone call placed by Amy Zimmerman, a producer for ESPN, to the steward’s booth about Velazquez’s comments.

Apparently Amy Zimmerman was the only one operating with a brain that night.

[opusone]

It would have been if either article included an update on the horse.

[TouchOfGrey]

Attorney Contends Velazquez is Scapegoat

The attorney for jockey John Velazquez said her client is a “scapegoat” in connection with the events surrounding last year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (gr. I) in which Life At Ten was eased during the course of the race.

In a March 11 statement that takes the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to task, attorney and prominent horse owner Maggi Moss said the charges against Velazquez would not withstand legal scrutiny.

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz1GJU89fTd

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by cmfhb411

From this point forward I'd question the intellect of riders who discuss their horse
with anyone outside of connections, gate crew and vets til after the race.

Sad but true

[TouchOfGrey]

Is this guy seriously comparing the Life at Ten situation to what happened to Barbaro? Is there something I'm missing here?

The Stewards' Responsibility

That there was a major foul-up at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 there is no doubt, but it is not nearly the tragedy that occurred in the 2006 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

<snip>

That rider Edgar Prado, trainer Michael Matz, the stewards of the Maryland Jockey Club and the track veterinarians collectively allowed Barbaro to run in the Preakness calls the actions of all concerned into question. A little history helps to explain why.

Barbaro was a horse with sensitive underpinnings. Perhaps this was why Matz started his career on turf, an easier surface than dirt. His first three races were on grass. His first six races were also well spaced, allowing him plenty of time to recover after each outing.

Barbaro had 46 days between his maiden score at Delaware and his victory in the Laurel Futurity. It was another 43 days before his third start, a vcitory in the Tampa Bay Derby. He would make his dirt debut in the Holy Bull Stakes, in which he wore front bandages for the only time, off just a 34-day absence, then won the Florida Derby off a 56-day layoff. Barbaro would then go in the Kentucky Derby after a 35-day rest.

The average number of days off for Barbaro in his first six races was 43 days, just a tad over six weeks. But as the winner of the Kentucky Derby, he was expected to run on just 14 days notice in the Preakness. Was that too short for him? Subsequent events suggest that it was.

And so does Barbaro's warrm-up prior to the Preakness. He was difficult going down to the start. Then, once loaded, he broke through the gate. Was Barbaro trying to tell us something, as horses frequently attempt to do when they are not right? Was he in distress, being asked to do something, i.e., run on just 14 days notice, and perhaps not fully recovered from his Kentucky Derby exertions? We will never know, but what we do know is that after having broken through the gate, Barbaro was immediately reloaded for the start. A few seconds later, his racing career, and ultimately his life, were at an end.

Why didn't the gate vet have a closer look at Barbaro after he had broken through the gate? Was there pressure on keeping the Derby winner in the race in front of 100,000 people and a national television audience? Or did trainer, rider, stewards and vets really believe that all was right with Barbaro on the day?

The Barbaro tragedy should have alerted stewards in every jurisdiction to monitor suspect pre-race behavior more closely. That that has not been done is evident in the case of Life At Ten.