Private Zone uncatchable in Belmont Sprint Championship

ELMONT, N.Y. - Private Zone overpowered his four rivals in the $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship on Saturday, going right to the front and winning by 3 1/4 lengths under his regular rider Martin Pedroza.

Private Zone is now 3 for 4 at Belmont Park. He won the Grade 1 Vosburgh the last two Septembers and in his last start was third in the Met Mile behind Honor Code and Tonalist.

Private Zone also won the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct last November.

Private Zone, a 6-year-old trained by Jorge Navarro, outsprinted Green Gratto for the early lead in the seven-furlong Sprint Championship. He cut out splits of 22.40 seconds, 44.64, and 1:09.16 en route to a final time of 1:22.57.

Private Zone, who was geared down at the finish, paid $2.70. He is owned by the Good Friends Stable, which is managed by former rider Renee Douglas.

"Good performance, we were expecting this," Navarro said. "It was a team effort. Our plans were to give him some time off but he came back so good after the Metropolitan Mile."

Navarro said Private Zone would be considered for the Grade 1, $700,000 Forego, a seven-furlong race at Saratoga on Aug. 29.

Clearly Now finished second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Stallwalkin' Dude.