Life At Ten makes it six in a row in G2 Del ‘Cap

Malibu Moon’s daughter Life At Ten solidified her status as one of the top older distaffers in the country with a front-running, three-length victory in the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (G2) on July 17. The victory was the sixth in a row for the chestnut mare, who is undefeated in four starts this year. Funny Moon, also by Malibu Moon, finished third, 5 3/4-lengths behind the winner.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Life At Ten was sent right to the front, where she carved out a sensible pace of :49.75 for the half-mile and 1:14.01 for the six furlongs. Life At Ten kept her five foes at bay at every call in the 1 1/4-mile test. When she hit the top of the stretch, Velazquez asked her to go, and she left her foes fighting for the minor awards. The final time was 2:03.21, earning her a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

The winning streak for Life At Ten, a five-year-old, dates back to last Nov. 9. Most recently, she won the Ogden Phipps H. (G1) at Belmont Park on June 12. Prior to that, she took the Sixty Sails H. (G3) at Hawthorne, which was preceded by three wins in a row at Aqueduct, including a pair of listed stakes in the Rare Treat and Snit S. She is trained by Todd Pletcher, who had previously won the Delaware Handicap in 2001 with Irving’s Baby, in 2006 with Fleet Indian, and in 2007 with Unbridled Belle. Pletcher said his next target for Life At Ten will likely be the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

Bred in Kentucky by Nickleback Farm, Life At Ten is out of the winning Rahy mare Rahrahsixboombah. She is now 7-5-1 in 14 career starts, with earnings of $909,267 for owner Cynthia DeBartolo.

Malibu Moon is enjoying yet another terrific year, ranking among the top 5 North American Sires by: earnings ($4.7 million); Grade 1 winners (2); stakes winners (7); repeat winners (#1 among all sires, with 39); and overall winners (94).