Private Zone to defend title in Belmont Sprint Championship

ELMONT, N.Y. – Private Zone likely will make his seasonal debut in the Grade 3, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship on July 9, according to Rene Douglas, managing partner for owner Good Friends Stable.

Private Zone won the Belmont Sprint Championship last July.

Private Zone, a three-time Grade 1 winner, was not permitted to run in the Grade 2 True North at Belmont on June 10 after Brian Lynch, his trainer of record at entry time, surrendered his license to the New York State Gaming Commission after testing positive for marijuana.

Initially, Douglas said he was thinking about running Private Zone in the Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park on July 2, but he changed his mind after consulting with Lynch.

“After discussing it with Brian, we felt it didn’t make sense to ship Private Zone all the way down to Florida for the Smile when his home is currently in New York,” Douglas said. “He runs well there at Belmont, and the race on July 9 is at seven furlongs, which is a perfect distance for him.”

It is unclear whether Lynch will be back as the trainer of record by July 9. He must first pass a drug test administered by the New York State Gaming Commission. The horses in Lynch’s barn are running under the name of assistant Erin Cotterill.

On Wednesday, Private Zone was credited with a half-mile breeze in 47.07 seconds over Belmont’s main track.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch