Pedroza Holds Key to Private Zone

Martin Pedroza has never won a Breeders’ Cup race. He figures his best chance comes Nov. 1 when he rides Private Zone in the $1.5 million Expressbet Sprint at six furlongs.

“Pretty much all his races, it looks like he’s beat,” said the resilient and resolute 49-year-old jockey, who has had only seven Breeders’ Cup mounts. “Private Zone likes to fight.”

That would account for his two most prestigious victories, in the Grade I Vosburgh Invitational at Belmont Park, last year and this, each coming by a neck while racing on the inside and appearing beaten when challenged through the homestretch, only to dig in with zeal-like ferocity to gain the victory.

Asked how Private Zone is able to fend off his rivals, Pedroza wasn’t about to tip his hand. “I can’t tell you my secret,” he said with a smile. “I’ll leave it in the good Lord’s hands. The horse just likes to fight. He’s very competitive.”

Ditto for Pedroza.

The King of Pomona, where he won more riding titles than any other jockey, 14, including a string of 13 straight, until Fairplex Park ended racing this year after a run of 75 years, Pedroza now faces the world undaunted despite the demise of his bread and butter track, where he won close to 700 races.

“It is what it is,” said Pedroza, winner of more than 3,600 races since he began his career more than three decades ago. “Now I’m going to try and take control of Los Alamitos. You’ll see.”

Private Zone, a 5-year-old Macho Uno gelding bred in Canada by Adena Springs, has but one other victory in the U.S. besides the two Vosburghs, that coming in the restricted Pirate’s Bounty at Del Mar in 2013.

He is winless in four starts on Santa Anita’s main track, finishing second three times. He was 10th by 6 ¼ lengths behind victorious Secret Circle in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

“Believe it or not,” Pedroza said, “Private Zone was training better for this race last year,” when the bay was trained by Doug O’Neill for Good Friends Stable, LLC, which is managed by Pedroza’s lifelong friend and fellow Panamanian, former jockey Rene Douglas. Alfredo Velazquez now conditions Private Zone.

“His Breeders’ Cup race last year was very disappointing for all of us,” Pedroza said. “He was training better than ever, especially for that race. He didn’t even show his tactical speed; he showed me nothing.

“It was one of those days. If horses could only talk, maybe we’d know. We picked the wrong day. Hopefully, this year will be different.”

Source: Santa Anita Park