Judge Rules Former Kentucky Chief Steward Veitch Improperly Dismissed

According to a story by The Blood-Horse, a Circuit Court judge has ruled that former Kentucky chief state steward John Veitch was improperly dismissed from his position in 2011 and has ordered Veitch reinstated with back wages.

Veitch was dismissed from his chief steward position without cause in a Nov. 28, 2011 letter and then suspended by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for a year regarding the circumstances around Life At Ten's performance in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Veitch has since regained his license and is currently an official in the racing office at Keeneland.

“Even though all the necessary and appropriate agency heads and authorities concurred in terminating Veitch, Secretary Vance took unilateral action in terminating Veitch,” judge Thomas Wingate wrote. “While this may be a distinction without a different result at the end of the day, this Court believes that, because the KHRC is a statutorily created independent agency of state government, Secretary Vance did not have the authority to terminate Veitch.”

Read more at The Blood-Horse