by Ryan Patterson
Let your voice be heard! Vote for
Paynter to win the 2012
Secretariat Vox Populi Award!
After Bodemeister burst onto the
scene with a terrific maiden win in which he flexed his muscles en route to a 9
¼ romp, I sent a congratulatory text message to owner Justin Zayat. He replied
thanking me, but informed that if I thought Bodemeister was good, I should wait
until I see the Awesome Again colt he had in the barn waiting to debut.
The first thought in my mind? Yea,
right; if you have one better than Bodemeister then you might have the best
horse in the country.
It turns out that Awesome Again
colt was the vaunted Paynter and regardless of how unbelievable Justin’s
assessment sounded out the time, it turned out to be true.
Paynter boasted more potential than
any horse other horse that raced in 2012. He showed us just how good he could
be in the Haskell Invitational where he broke the heart of Grade 1 winner
Gemologist before jogging away to an easy four length win that Monmouth race
caller Larry Collmus called a “powerhouse performance”.
“We always knew Paynter had a
chance to be something special based on his walk, pedigree, attitude and the
‘it’ factor,” said Justin Zayat. “But the first real indication was when Bob
Baffert sent me a text message after watching him work at Del Mar which said
‘That Awesome Again colt caught my eye today’” Zayat told me. “I knew it was a
great sign because Bob is rarely wrong and said something similar about Lookin
At Lucky. I actually still have that text message saved on my phone.” Zayat
said.
“Right after Bodemeister broke his
maiden, we watched Paynter work in company with another Bob Baffert horse, Liaison,
who had just won the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity. Paynter outworked him in hand
without having had a race yet,” said Zayat.
When Paynter’s first race finally
came around the anticipation in the Zayat camp had reached a fever pitch. After
all, this might be the best horse they have ever had. Despite that, Bob Baffert
warned that given his route pedigree and tendency to break slowly from the gate
that he might need race. 5 ½ furlongs was far from an optimal distance, but
Paynter toyed with the field.
From there, Paynter was thrown
right into the lion’s den. Derby fever took over and Baffert recommended going
straight from the maiden race to the Santa Anita Derby. Paynter would end up
fourth in that race behind eventual Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another. If
not for a poor beginning where he went to his face out of the gate, he likely
would have finished third.
After an encouraging second place
finish over a funky wet track at Churchill Downs in the Derby Trial, Paynter
turned a corner in his mind.
“He started coming to life, biting
and walking around like he knows that he’s the best horse in the barn,” said
Zayat. “Our next race for Paynter was an allowance at Pimlico where he annihilated
the competition. Baffert was so impressed with the horse that in the paddock of
the Preakness, while the focus was on Bodemeister, Bob is talking about how
great Paynter did and that he plans to run him in the Belmont Stakes.” Zayat
said.
And run in the Belmont Stakes they
did. Paynter zipped to the lead in the Test of Champions and was narrowly
defeated by failed Derby favorite Union Rags.
“Very few people know that Paynter
was stepped on by Unstoppable U during the Belmont Stakes. He still finished
second; that’s how tough this horse is. We thought we were going to have to
give him some time off, but luckily Baffert explained that the injury, which
was to a splint bone, would heal quickly and on its own.” Zayat said.
This was the first of many problems
for Paynter. However, it ended up being a minor issue, as Baffert predicted,
and the colt was back in time to deliver a powerful win in the Haskell
Invitational. In a three-year-old division that was struggling to find a
leader, Paynter had asserted himself as the best in the land.
Soon after the Haskell
Invitational, Bob Baffert put in a call to Zayat Stables and let them know that
their colt was spitting up on the walls and had a fever. He didn’t want to
bring him home until he was well enough to ship.
“At this point, we knew that there
was a virus going through the Kelly Breen barn where Paynter is staying.” Zayat
said. “We thought he would just need some time and hydration after running so
hard. Every day of training is so important and missing some time because of
this meant that the Travers was basically out of the question.” Zayat said.
Paynter seemingly recovered and was
soon back to training, but another call from their trainer let the Zayat’s know
that something was still amiss with the colt. Baffert said that it was time to
get veterinary professionals involved.
“We flew in doctors from every
corner of the world, but nobody could figure out what exactly was wrong with
Paynter. We knew it was something with his stomach, but the problem could not
be pinpointed. It turned out to be colitis.” Zayat said.
Colitis is an inflammation of the colon
that has an exceptionally high mortality rate. Most horses die within 24 hours
after the onset of colitis.
Dr. Laura Javsicas, a noted expert
in the field of gastrointestinal diseases and Dr. Louise Southwood of the
renowned New Bolton Center worked in tandem to restore the good health of
Paynter.
“My dad and I trust Bob Baffert
completely, but once the horse left his care my dad took control of the
situation.” Zayat said
Ahmed Zayat was the perfect
taskmaster. In constant contact with his doctors, he oversaw the care of what
Justin says is the best horse they have ever owned.
Part of what the eldest Zayat saw
as his duty was keeping the racing public and Paynter’s fans abreast of the
situation.
“@jazz3162 @JustinZayat Paynter
update: Been a super day today once again. Eating all day. Happy. Very bright.
Playful! No fever. Feet totally normal.” Updates like this one came early and
often via social networking sites like Twitter.
“The biggest thing for us was to
make sure that Paynter never suffered. We love these horses so much; they are
our family. You don’t want to see your family in pain.” Zayat said.
Just as he had conquered the Grade
1 Haskell, Paynter conquered colitis. It seemed that everything was back
to normal, but the courageous colt had one more bridge to cross.
“Things are finally looking up for Paynter,
but then we found out he had laminitis on three out of four of his feet.
Naturally, I feared the worst. We had worked so hard; Paynter had worked so
hard; to get through colitis, and now this happens.” Zayat said.
Luckily, laminitis was found soon
enough that it never became a problem. This is attributed largely to the heart
of Paynter and the world class care delivered by his owners.
Finally, the fight was over for Paynter;
he had won.
“Paynter is healthy and happy and
that makes us happy. Our boy is back to his fiery self, biting at people and
walking with that swagger that great horses have. He’s chilling as a horse and
having a good time at Fair Hill Training Center.” Zayat said.
Soon, Paynter will begin jogging
and galloping with Bob Baffert. The last time trainer and horse worked together
they were poised to ascend to the top of the racing world. Against all odds, he
will get another chance to do just that.
Time to power up, Paynter.
Let your voice be heard! Vote for
Paynter to win the 2012
Secretariat Vox Populi Award!