Pay Any Price kicks off 10-year-old season with win

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Most trainers aren’t at a loss for words after winning a big race. But one trainer who could barely speak in the winner’s circle was Georgina Baxter, who rendered herself hoarse cheering her star Pay Any Price to victory in his first start since returning from a 7 1/2-month layoff in Sunday afternoon’s co-featured allowance race going five furlongs on the turf. The win was the 18th in 29 career starts for the course record-holder, who turned 10 last Wednesday.

Pay Any Price has been a labor of love for Baxter over the last several years. A tough horse to manage in the mornings, she has to wait until the racetrack is all but empty just before closing time to bring him out to train on a daily basis. She’s also in the saddle for the majority of his breezes, and when he works from the gate she has to help get him there safely before having regular rider Emisael Jaramillo climb aboard for the drill.

“I don’t normally get this worked up before he runs, but I was a more nervous than usual today because we were bringing him back from a long layoff and he was in for [the $62,500] tag, so I was a little more emotional being worried somebody might claim him,” Baxter said. “Now I’m relieved, because nobody took him. He means so much to me and the barn. He’s done a lot for me, so I’m also very grateful as well. I’m honored to ride him and so honored he picked me to be the one he likes.”