McPeek grieves over tragic loss of Ten City

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Maybe it was the rainy weather or the ambient light, but the more Kenny McPeek talked about Ten City, the glassier his eyes seemed to become.

Sadly, Ten City was euthanized shortly after breaking down in his left foreleg while on the lead Saturday in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. A little less than 24 hours later, McPeek, his trainer, was still agonizing over the tragic loss.

“What do you say?” said McPeek, a trainer since 1985. “It was probably the hardest day of my entire career. People say it’s part of the game, but I don’t buy that. I’ve never had a horse break down in a graded race like that, let alone a horse of his caliber. It was extremely tough on me and everyone else involved. It’s going to be tough for a while.”

Ten City, a 2-year-old colt by Run Away and Hide, was owned by Tommie Lewis and Magdalena Racing. The sudden breakdown occurred near the quarter pole, with jockey Corey Lanerie doing a heroic job of keeping the colt upright while staying aboard and insuring that no other horses or jockeys were affected. All but one of the 10 horses trailing him passed him to his outside, with Ready Prospector slipping past along his inside.