Private Zone cruises to victory in Forego

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Jorge Navarro made no bones about his strategy or the confidence he had in Private Zone going into Saturday’s Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga. Sure enough, his prediction that the rest of the field would “really have to run to beat us” proved 100 percent correct after Private Zone dominated the Forego from start to finish en route to a convincing 3 3/4-length victory over The Big Beast.

The Forego was marred when jockey Joel Rosario was unseated from his mount, Bourbon Courage, on the turn, forcing him to take off his remaining mounts on the card, including Frosted in the Travers.

Private Zone became a Grade 1 winner for the fourth time with his victory in the seven-furlong Forego, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He will be pointed to the BC Sprint for the third time in as many years. Private Zone finished third, beaten less than two lengths by Work All Week, in the 2014 Sprint.

With regular rider Martin Pedroza aboard, Private Zone broke alertly and went right to the lead, just as Navarro had predicted. Private Zone was kept off the inside rail in the run down the backstretch, settled into the stretch with a comfortable advantage, and never was seriously threatened while winning with something left.

The Big Beast, who suffered a heartbreaking nose setback at the hands of Rock Fall four weeks earlier in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt, raced forwardly throughout and dug in gamely through the final furlong to outlast the late-running Viva Majorca by a head to be second.

Private Zone is a 6-year-old son of Macho Uno owned by the Good Friends Stable. His victory in the Forego swelled his lifetime earnings to more than $2.6 million. Private Zone paid $5.20 and completed the distance in 1:21.09 – 0.53 seconds slower than Runhappy covered the same distance 30 minutes earlier in winning the King’s Bishop.

“I was a little worried about the workout here [going four furlongs in 45.80] because he went so fast, but he came back so good, cooled out so fast, I knew he would be fine,” said Navarro, who took over training duties for Private Zone this winter at Gulfstream Park. “I didn’t have him last year, but I think he’s been getting better and better. The longer I have him, the more he shows me. He’s a special horse.”

Navarro said he currently has no plans to run Private Zone again before the Breeders’ Cup.