We examine the physical conditions of the molecular gas in the extremely red object ( ERO ) , HR 10 ( J164502+4626.4 , or [ HR94 ] 10 ) at z = 1.44 , as constrained by the recent detection of CO J + 1 \rightarrow J,J = 1 , 4 lines . The line ratios of such widely spaced CO transitions are very sensitive probes of gas excitation ; in the case of HR 10 , they provide a rare opportunity to study the state of H _ { 2 } gas in a gas-rich starburst at a cosmologically significant distance . Contrary to earlier claims , we find the CO J = 5 - 4 transition to be of low excitation with a brightness temperature ratio of ( 5 - 4 ) / ( 2 - 1 ) \sim 0.16 . Depending upon how often such conditions prevail in intense starbursts , this may have serious consequences for molecular gas mass estimates and the detectability of high- J CO lines from similar objects at high redshifts ( z \gtrsim 3 ) .