Veitch granted stay of Kentucky commission ruling

A Kentucky judge has granted former Kentucky chief state steward John Veitch a stay of a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission ruling that prevented him from seeking a racing license for one year, according to a copy of the ruling.

Kentucky Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate granted the stay on Wednesday at the request of Tom Miller, Veitch’s lawyer, who had earlier filed a 30-page motion disputing the penalty. The racing commission issued the one-year penalty in February, several months after Veitch had been fired as chief state steward without cause.

“The immediate impact is that he’s allowed to work in the industry,” Miller said on Thursday, when asked to describe the affect of the stay. “For 42 years, that’s all John has known.” Miller said Veitch is currently seeking employment in the racing industry.

The stay will be in place until Veitch’s appeal in circuit court is heard, or until Judge Wingate rules otherwise.

A Hall of Fame trainer who was hired by the commission in 2005, Veitch was fired two weeks before a hearing officer issued a report recommending the one-year sanction based on Veitch’s role in the Life At Ten incident at the 2010 Breeders’ Cup. In the report, the hearing officer said that Veitch had an obligation to order Life At Ten to be examined by veterinarians after her jockey, John Velazquez, told television commentators that the filly “was not warming up like she normally does.” The report also said that Veitch did not provide accurate testimony during an investigation into the incident.