Pay Any Price kicks off season

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There’s only one allowance event Friday at Gulfstream Park, a $51,000 optional-claiming dash for fillies and mares going six furlongs that marks the halfway point on the marathon 12-race program.

But the real feature on Friday comes about an hour later when the old warrior Pay Any Price slips in under starter-allowance and optional-claiming conditions to kick off another season for owners Averill Racing and Matties Racing. The track and North American record holder at five furlongs on the turf, Pay Any Price will face six rivals to kick off his 9-year-old campaign while looking to bounce back from a third-place finish in the Janus Stakes in his 2018 finale.

Pay Any Price was hard used contesting the pace with ultimate winner and 6-5 favorite Vision Perfect in the Janus, and had his four-race win streak snapped. His connections had hoped to get the speedster to the Breeders’ Cup one month earlier, but those hopes died when Pay Any Price wound up on the also-eligible list for the Turf Sprint.

Trainer Georgina Baxter had hoped to launch Pay Any Price’s 2019 campaign nearly two weeks ago in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint.

“We wanted to run him here on Pegasus Day, but the race came off the grass and we didn’t want to risk him,” said Baxter. “But he needs to run.”

Baxter, who has been Pay Any Price’s regular exercise rider for several years, said she doesn’t believe her pride and joy has slowed down at all, even at the age of 9.

“I love the older class horses like him,” said Baxter. “If you treat them right, they’ll always run good. We treat him like a pet, give him a little extra TLC. He kind of lost his way a bit this time last year – it’s when he gets to the summer he really peaks – but he’s going in good and [the owners] picked a nice spot for him. And we’re hoping to use this race as a stepping-stone for the Silks Run next month.”

Pay Any Price will have a new jockey on Friday with Luis Saez replacing his longtime rider Edgard Zayas, who is recuperating from injuries suffered in a spill here earlier this winter.

“Luis is a great rider and his style should fit him,” said Baxter. “Even though this horse is fast, he needs an aggressive ride. But he is quirky. Everything has to be perfect. There are even certain things you need to do in the warmup. So I’ll have a good talk with Luis before he goes out. Hopefully he’s a good listener, and this will turn out to be a good confidence booster for when he returns in the stakes later this winter.”

Pay Any Price’s competition will include a familiar face and contemporary, the 9-year-old Oak Bluffs, whom he narrowly defeated winning the 2017 Claiming Crown Canterbury and whom he readily handled in the Janus. Oak Bluffs, a stretch-running son of Defrere trained by Mary Eppler, ran sixth in the Janus after finishing full of run to finish second, beaten a half-length by Rocket Heat, in the 2018 Canterbury.

Both Gran Malbec and Don’t Be Salty could provide Pay Any Price with some early company in quest of the lead, while Bushrod figures to be running at the leaders at the end.