Photo: Kevin Creative (Kevin House)
Zayat Stables’ Belmont Stakes hopeful Paynter
drilled five furlongs over the Belmont Park training track Sunday
morning, covering the distance under exercise rider Simon Harris in
59.26, the fastest of 38 recorded works at the distance.
“He worked nice,” said Jim Barnes, assistant to the
colt’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert. “We were planning on the main
track, but they sealed the main track, so we opted for the training
track. They went out at 9:30, after the second break. Bob told me to go
in a minute, and that’s about as close to a minute as I can get.”
A son of Awesome Again, Paynter easily broke his maiden
going 5 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita in February, and in his next start
finished a respectable fourth behind I’ll Have Another in the Grade 1, 1
1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby en route to a runner-up finish behind
Hierro in the Grade 3, one-mile Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. Eight
days ago, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 106 for a front-running 1
1/16-mile allowance victory at Pimlico.
“Bob told me to get the work out of the way today,” said
Barnes. “He ran eight days ago, but we’re dealing with weather. They’re
expecting more rain tonight than they got today, so what’s another day?
The horse’s energy level is great, and he’s lightly raced. He’s only
run four times, and he’s got to go a mile and a half. You train him a
little differently than you train a horse that’s already gone through
the Triple Crown races. Just to get to the Triple Crown races is
grueling enough as it is. Can he go a mile and half? None of them have,
so you really don’t know, but you’re hoping. Pedigree says he should
and I definitely think we brought a fresh horse here, so that’s going
to help."