Private Zone to defend Vosburgh title

ELMONT, N.Y. – Last year, Private Zone shipped to Belmont from Southern California and stole the Grade 1 Vosburgh on the front end.

Saturday, Private Zone will seek a repeat victory in the $400,000 Vosburgh, only his commute will be a lot shorter.

After Private Zone shipped from Southern California to run in the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx on Sept. 1, he stayed on the East Coast with trainer Alfredo Velazquez, who is based at Parx. Velazquez worked Private Zone once from the gate at Parx before shipping him to New York where he worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Saturday morning over the main track.

“He went real, real good, he worked super,” Velazquez said.

Velazquez said breaking slowly from the rail in the Turf Monster “killed him that day.”

“He only got beat three lengths,” Velazquez said.

Private Zone will take on a field that is expected to include Dads Caps, Happy My Way, Palace, Ribo Bobo, and Salutos Amigos.