Haskell Invitational (gr. I) winner Paynter arrived at Belmont Park Aug. 10 from New Jersey and will be monitored to see if he can make the Aug. 25 Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course.
Two days after winning the 1 1/8-mile Haskell by 3 3/4 lengths July 29, Zayat Stables' son of Awesome Again spiked a fever after spending time in the barn of trainer Kelly Breen at Monmouth Park. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sent Paynter to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, N.J., July 31.
"I sent him there as a precaution," Baffert said. "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 1 1/4-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."
