Saturday, June 12, 2010
LIFE AT TEN SCORES FIFTH STRAIGHT IN
By Jenny Kellner
ELMONT, N.Y. – Life At Ten scored her fifth straight victory on Saturday afternoon, grabbing the lead coming out of the gate and running off to a 2¾-length victory over favored Unrivaled Belle in the 42nd running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.
Under jockey John Velazquez, the 5-year-old Malibu Moon mare stumbled slightly at the break, then zipped to the front, setting fractions of 23.22, 45.55 and 1:08.40 while being shadowed by Unrivaled Belle. Rounding the turn, the favorite ranged up alongside to challenge at the quarter pole, but Life At Ten found another gear and pulled clear through the stretch to complete the 1 1/16th miles in 1:40.72.
"I gave her a little help at the five-sixteenths pole, she quickened up, and it was all the horse from there on," said Velazquez.
Unrivaled Belle, who had defeated reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the Grade 2 La Troienne in her previous start, held on for second by a head over Funny Moon, who was trailed by Manitoba Miss and Pumpkin Shell.
"I thought she was going to be able to handle the winner, but the winner was too good today," said Kent Desormeaux, aboard the beaten favorite.
Life At Ten, owned by Cynthia DeBartolo, launched her winning streak last November, taking an allowance race at Aqueduct Racetrack and following that with a victory in an overnight stakes at the Big A in December. She began her 2010 campaign with a five-length victory in Aqueduct's Rare Treat in February, and returned from a freshening to score her first graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Sixty Sails Handicap at Hawthorne in her most recent effort on April 17.
Overall, Life At Ten is 6-5-1 from 13 starts, with her only off-the-board performance coming last September with a seventh-place finish over a yielding turf course at
"She's been a very generous filly for us and I'm proud to have won a Grade 1 with her," said Jonathan Thomas, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. "The main thing with her is not so much where she is, as just staying out of her way."
The second choice in the field of five, Life At Ten returned $6.60 for a $2 win bet and earned $150,000 to extend her earnings to $459,267.
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