Private Zone backs off gate move, works from pole Sunday morning

Breeders' Cup Sprint favorite Private Zone was scheduled to work from the gate Sunday morning at host track Keeneland, but trainer Jorge Navarro called a late audible, instead working the gelding in a brisk 59 seconds from the pole on the watch of Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.

Navarro said his exercise rider has told him the past few mornings that Private Zone was bothered by something on the far side of the track near where the gate was positioned for training. This led to his concern the gelding would “put on the brakes” and refuse to train as he was wont to do early in his career in Panama. So rather than playing with fire, he worked Private Zone from the pole to ensure a drama-free morning.

“He's ready. He's been ready,” Navarro said. “There's something about the other side of the track that he wants to go back to those issues that he had back in Panama. So we don’t want to mess with him. We want to keep him happy. So that’s why we canceled the gate work. … That’s the big change with him now – that we keep him happy. That’s our main object. That’s why we brought him [to Keeneland] early – to get him used to the surroundings.”

Private Zone is training up to the BC Sprint off a 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. That was the fourth career Grade 1 victory for the gelding, third in the 2014 BC Sprint at Santa Anita.

“What's amazing is every time I bring him to a race, it's another gear,” Navarro said. “I don't know how many gears he's got. He's doing excellent.”