The Spa Spot: Paynter remains a Travers candidate
Paynter's journey from his victory in the Haskell Invitational to the Travers, took him to Belmont Park Friday. Trainer Bob Baffert said he is still a candidate for Saratoga's $1 million marquee race on August 25.
The Zayat Stables colt was transferred from the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, N.J. to trainer John Terranova's barn at Belmont. Terranova and his wife, Tonja, handle Baffert's horses that are shipped to New York.
Two days after winning the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational by 3¾ lengths on July 29, the Awesome Again colt spiked a fever. After spending time in the barn of trainer Kelly Breen at Monmouth Park, Baffert moved Paynter to Mid-Atlantic Equine.
“I sent him there as a precaution,” Baffert said on Friday. “They gave him fluids and antibiotics. We didn’t want to just leave him in the barn. He was sick; he had a temperature. He needed a lot of fluids. He had just run.”
Baffert said he has no schedule set for Paynter and will monitor him on a day-to-day basis in hopes of making the 1¼-mile Travers.
“Our main concern is to make sure the sickness didn’t go really bad on him,” said Baffert. “It was precautionary. He’s doing fine now.”