Private Zone moves into Navarro's barn

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Private Zone, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2014 and a finalist for an Eclipse Award as the nation's premier sprinter, will be trained by Jorge Navarro when he returns to the races in 2015.

Rene Douglas, who manages Private Zone for the Good Friends Stable LLC, said the horse will leave Goldmark Farm in Ocala, where he has been freshened since his victory in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, and van to Navarro's barn at Gulfstream Park West on Tuesday.

Private Zone was transferred from trainer Doug O'Neill to Alfred Velazquez following his fourth-place finish in the Turf Monster Handicap at Parx on Sept. 1. Private Zone won both the Cigar Mile and Vosburgh with Velazquez while also finishing third behind Work All Week in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

"Freddy and I are really close friends and I let him decide if he wanted to keep the horse, but under the condition that he came to Florida to train him," said Douglas. "We want to keep the horse in Florida for the winter and then bring him back east. And Freddy said he was committed to stay home and run his stable in Philadelphia."

Douglas said if all goes well, Private Zone would make his 2015 debut in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 7 before heading to New York for his first major goal of the year, the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.

“Jorge and I have also been friends a long time, we get along well, and he is a really good horseman,” said Douglas. “The numbers don’t lie. We’re very excited to have been nominated to be a finalist for an Eclipse Award. It’s not an easy thing to do. This horse has brought us a lot of joy and happiness and I’m very thankful to have him. Hopefully he’ll take us further next year.”

Navarro, currently second in the trainer standings behind Todd Pletcher at the Gulfstream Park championship meet, said he was honored to be given the opportunity to train such an accomplished horse as Private Zone.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for,” said Navarro. “Rene and I go back a long way. We both come from Panama. We had a long talk [Friday], he said he’s been watching me for years, and he wants to give me a chance.”