Paynter takes Bob Baffert to sixth success in Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park
Bob Baffert’s good times in the Haskell Invitational continued, as Paynter gave him his sixth victory in the Grade 1 event at Monmouth Park on Sunday, July 29th.
The 3-year-old cruised past Gemologist around the far turn, and subsequently outclassed Nonios to grab an easy triumph. It was Baffert’s third straight victory in the Haskell Invitational, and Paynter’s maiden success at the highest level of the sport.
Owned by Zayat Stables – LLC, the dashing colt did not make the best of start against a very strong opposition. However, he quickly got his act together, pressing the pace in the middle stages.
In the hands of R. Bejarano, he ran superbly in the final moments, stretching his advantage considerably. Nonios came up with a fine act in the beginning, but dropped back a bit later on.
He moved up outside of Gemologist, and following a splendid effort in the dying moments, he easily secured the second place. Although Jerry Hollendorfer’s trainee completely failed to challenge Paynter, he ran well to secure the runner-up spot by 4½ lengths
over Stealcase.
It was a terrible day for Gemologist, who was carrying the second highest odds. The 2-1 chance was unable to produce anything special and as a result, completed the order of finish.
On the other hand, Paynter was dominant all the way through. In front of a huge crowd of 35,253, the Kentucky-bred colt ran furiously, seizing the top rank by 3¾ lengths.
“It was nice to finally get a big race for the Zayat connections. When you win them, it always feels like the first one, they’re exciting, they never get old. It was so exciting to watch that horse. When he turned for home, he just pinned his ears and took
off. That’s the horse that Jimmy and I have always been high on,” Baffert said after watching the race via simulcast at Del Mar.
He continued: “When I saw Gemologist get the first jump, I let him go and put him right away to the outside. I had a perfect trip because it was a better track on the outside, and it was very good for him.”
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