Ahmed Zayat: Must Hear Amazing ESPN Interview
 

http://espn.go.com/sports/horse/triplecrown2012/

Ahmed Zayat gave an interview to ESPN and wow! It is a must hear!
He is very candid and open about Paynter and his condition! He is just raw and it made me an even bigger fan of his.

In the interview he even reveals that Baffert "Believes that [Paynter] is as good as Point Given." Check the 8 minute mark!

I am an even bigger fan of Ahmed Zayat's after hearing this interview and I believe anyone who hears this will feel the same way.

baffert saying paynter's as good as point given really doesn't matter much. the horse didn't prove it, and probably won't ever get the chance. i don't recall a horse ever returning to racing after a bout with laminitis.

He tweeted something to Doug Anderson about that:

I think I read something about it depending on the circumstances of why the laminitis developed. There usually isn't a need to try to run them after getting it during colitis because most horses that are in that situation die. Not sure that I'd bother trying, though. Take it as a sign that the horse has been through enough, and let's not tempt fate. If he broke down after surviving all that, Zayat would be devastated and accusations would fly. If the vet doesn't advise it, I bet he won't do it, though.

Ill be thrilled if paynter makes it, so will zayat. But i just dont see a chance in hell of the horse running again. Im just amazed at this point it would even get a second thought. Speaks to the fortitude of paynter.

Yeah, I'm sure it's still far-fetched, but this horse is rewriting the book so I don't even know what we can say he will or won't do. Here's another Twitter update:

"@jazz3162 Paynter update: Doing well. Protein stable. Feet comfortable. Temp 101.3. We are stopping the iv antibiotic and will monitor fevers. He is stable and comfortable. He has a long way to go but this is a step in the right direction. He's fighting hard."

He wasn't.

Point Given dominated the Preakness, won the Belmont with devastating ease -- and swept the Haskell and Travers in a bar shoe...running outstanding figures for a 3yo router in three of the four races.

Curtis Paynter was 1-for-4 lifetime in stakes races. Off the board in the SA Derby, beaten in the Derby Trial, blew an uncontested lead through easy fractions in the Belmont, and finally won a weak edition of the Haskell over Nonios and Steelcase.

The nonsense with Paynter has been going on before he ever raced. At least Baffert didn't say Silver Charm, who was even better than Point Given.

It was at Archwarrior levels. He was a very nice racehorse, but he wasn't even the best 3yo from his stable -- and had horses like Fed Biz and Secret Circle stayed healthy, I don't think he would have been the second best 3yo either.

Tom Brady was so impressive in workouts -- he got drafted in the 6th round 199th overall ahead of Spergon Wynn.

Yeah, doug, i was going to compare bafferts talk re paynter to gary stevens chatter after every race on his latest 'best ever'.

Bodemeister was open lengths better than Paynter.

Without a doubt.

Silver Charm and Free House had serious guts and talent. The more I've looked back at that Triple Crown season, the more impressed I am with the two of them. Not that I don't appreciate Touch Gold, but I do wonder what would've happened if Silver Charm had seen him coming that day. He was the most deserving of Baffert's chances really, and I'm a fan of the underrated "fish" Real Quiet. Charm deserved that win.

It's hard to think they'd have taken a Triple Crown winner down had Real Quiet gotten his nose in front of Victory Gallop (kind of like leaving up Goldikova when she clearly caused a mess). Talk about letting the air out of the balloon. The place would've exploded with enthusiasm and then turned into a mass of confusion. A real mess. He would've deserved the take down though. Maybe the best for everybody that it ended that way rather than have the controversy?

Did he bring up how his insistence on pushing the horse for a Travers start after the initial post-Haskell illness undoubtedly brought on the relapse that put him on death's door?

:tro:
Sadly, the truth usually gets in the way of a good story.

Had Silver Charm seen Touch Gold, Touch Gold would have won the race, the same as he did.

Had Touch Gold had a proper trip in the Preakness, Touch Gold would have won two thirds of the triple crown.

:tro:

They were so dismissal of that initial illness. It was unreal that they just blew it off like that. And paynter may pay a higher price then he already has for that.

Maybe things will get better for Mr. Twitter if he cuts the daily capping from $1,000,000 a day to $500,000

:D

Sorry can't help it.

hey at least he never painted the horses tail and had the bark to go on the air for 20 minutes and answer some tough questions
in a game about money and fame can you blame an owner for pushing to the top?
the horse is on death's door a wee bit bit of ability rhetoric is deserving of some poetic license

Lots of good conversation here. I hope though that you guys have gotten a chance to hear the interview. I am sure you will like it. :)

It's not a big deal that he wants to suggest that Paynter is one of Baffert's 'best ever'. Jess Jackson was constantly saying idiotic things about Curlin's place in racing history. Who cares...

What is troubling is that the horse was put in jeopardy by an intrusive owner who lied openly about the health status of the horse and its' whereabouts during the first illness and susbsequently is taking bows for 'doing right by the horse' now. In fact, he did 100% wrong by the horse.

He is finacially desperate?

Google Fifth Third bank and Zayat