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 Belmont.
“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.