Breeders' Cup Classic: Paynter tunes up at Santa Anita

Paynter, in his first work since finishing a distant second to Mucho Macho Man in the Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 28, went five furlongs Monday morning at Santa Anita, a drill that left trainer Bob Baffert upbeat. Paynter is scheduled to join stablemate Game On Dude in the gate for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.

“He really put in a good work,” Baffert said. “He did it the right way.”

Martin Garcia, who will ride Paynter in the Classic, was aboard.

Paynter broke off at the 4 1/2-furlong pole in company with Baffert-trained Den’s Legacy. According to Baffert, he clocked Paynter in 47 seconds for a half-mile to the sixteenth pole and had him going out five furlongs – a sixteenth of a mile past the finish line – in “59 and change.”

“It was a really good work,” Baffert said. “He needed to do something like that.”

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Baffert said he was disappointed in Paynter’s performance in the Awesome Again, his first start since he finished last of five in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on a sloppy, sealed track.

“New York was such a disaster,” Baffert said. “He’s moving forward now.”

In other Classic news, trainer Ken McPeek said Golden Ticket, fourth in the Awesome Again, would bypass the race and instead be pointed to the Dirt Mile. McPeek said Golden Ticket would not be cross-entered in both races.

On Sunday at Belmont Park, Graydar (five furlongs, 1:01.32) and Palace Malice (half-mile, 48.40) both worked on the training track for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Also Sunday, Fort Larned, the defending Classic winner, worked five furlongs in 1:00 at Churchill Downs for trainer Ian Wilkes.

Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup are due Oct. 21 and will be announced Oct. 23. As of Monday, the Classic field numbered 11 contenders. A maximum of 14 can run.