Grade 1-winning millionaire Paynter (Awesome Again), whose story of
perseverance a year ago captivated the racing world, will begin his next career
in 2014 as a stallion at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky. Campaigned by
Zayat Stables, Paynter is currently on track for Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’
Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
“When we set our goals for 2013, one of them was to get Paynter into the
WinStar stallion barn,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar President & CEO. “I look at
our stallions in North America today and I see real dirt pedigrees slipping away
from us. WinStar remains focused on the classics and striving to bring home
stallions that excel at running around two turns and on the dirt. Paynter’s
pedigree and race record epitomizes the classic American dirt horse.”
Trained by Bob Baffert, Paynter broke his maiden impressively first time out
at Santa Anita, winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race handily by 4 1 /4 lengths.
In his second lifetime start, he faced next-out Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have
Another in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, finishing a respectable fourth
despite bobbling at the break. After skipping the first two legs of the 2012
Triple Crown, Paynter caught up to his crop in time to make the Belmont Stakes.
He led at every call of the demanding 1 1/2-mile classic before falling just a
neck short at the wire in a runner-up performance to Union Rags.
Paynter next produced a 3 1/4-length victory in the Haskell Invitational
(G1), but was taken away from the sport for the rest of the year while
courageously fighting his way back to full health through a journey that became
renowned inside and outside of the horse racing community. He gained
overwhelming fan support, and his determined recovery was recognized by the NTRA
as the “Moment of the Year” for 2012.
After rejoining Baffert’s barn at the first of this year, Paynter embarked on
a comeback with a memorable 4 1/2-length win at Hollywood Park in June. Paynter
also owns a pair of runner-up finishes in the Awesome Again S and San Diego
Handicap and he heads into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Paynter was a $325,000 yearling purchase by agent David Ingordo, marking
Awesome Again’s highest priced yearling at the 2010 Keeneland September sale. He
is out of multiple graded stakes producer Tizso, a full sister to two-time
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow. Currently, Paynter owns eight first- and
second-place finishes from 10 starts, with earnings of $1,101,924.
A stud fee for Paynter will be determined and announced at a later date.
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