Private Zone Makes Saratoga Debut in Forego

Over a five-year career that began in Panama in 2011, Good Friends Stable's Private Zone has raced at 10 different tracks in five states and three countries, winning six graded or group stakes and more than $2.2 million in purse earnings from 29 starts.

 

Nowhere has the well-traveled 6-year-old gelding felt more at home than in New York. A Grade 1 winner at both Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park, Private Zone looks to add Saratoga Race Course to the list in Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Priority One Jets Forego.

 

The 36^th running of the seven-furlong Forego is part of a blockbuster Travers Day program highlighted by the appearance of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah in the 146^th Mid-Summer Derby. They are joined by the Grade 1, $1 million Sword Dancer; Grade 1, $750,000 Personal Ensign; Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina; Grade 1, $500,000 NYRA.com King's Bishop; and Grade 2, $400,000 Ketel One Ballston Spa.

 

Trained by Jorge Navarro, Private Zone will be making his Saratoga debut in the Forego, a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" challenge race in the Sprint division. He was last seen winning the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship July 4 at the Forego distance.

 

Private Zone has been no worse than third in four starts this year, also winning the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes May 2 on the Kentucky Derby undercard. He captured Aqueduct's Grade 1 Cigar Mile to cap his 5-year-old season last fall after earning his second straight triumph in Belmont's Grade 1 Vosburgh.

 

"He seems to like New York," Navarro said. "He runs well up here, so we're ready."

 

Though he has yet to race at Saratoga, Private Zone got a feel for the surface with a blazing half-mile breeze over the main track in 45.80 seconds August 22, the fastest of 96 horses. He will break from post 7 with regular rider Martin Pedroza.

 

"The exercise rider was just sitting on him but the horse is doing well," Navarro said. "I thought it was going to be a deeper track, but he seems to like it."

 

Back for a second try at a Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga is multiple graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Wildcat Red. Fifth by three lengths after a troubled start in last year's King's Bishop, the 4-year-old D'wildcat colt tuned up for the Forego with a gutsy head victory in the Teddy Drone Stakes August 2 at Monmouth Park.

 

"I'm very happy with him. He's been training very good," trainer Jose Garoffalo said. "I'm very optimistic. The horse is in very good shape. It's going to be a tough race, but I think we have a shot. I like the distance for him; all we need is a little bit of luck."

 

Jose Lezcano will ride Wildcat Red from post 4.

 

Second by nose in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt August 1 at Saratoga, Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's The Big Beast was a neck winner of the King's Bishop last summer. An injury following that race limited him to just three subsequent starts, including an allowance victory in March and a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap in April.

 

"He went into the Vanderbilt as good as you can want a horse, and I think he's the same way today," trainer Tony Dutrow said. "He ran such a good race. We're very, very good with him. We just want things to stay the way they are right now forSaturday."

 

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, up for the first time in the Vanderbilt, gets a return call from post 5.

 

Seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher is hoping to see a better performance from Matthew Schera's Race Day in his first start since an uncharacteristically dull effort in the Grade 3 Salavator Mile July 5 at Monmouth. He entered that race off wins in the Grade 3 Razorback and Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas and a narrow half-length loss in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream Park.

 

"He didn't get away well and he didn't fire at all. He didn't seem to care too much for Monmouth," Pletcher said. "He's coming into the race sharp; hopefully he's sharp enough to be competitive at seven furlongs. On his best day he's shown he can compete with those kinds of horses, and that's what we need. We need his best day on race day."

 

Two-time defending Spa riding champion Javier Castellano will pilot Race Day from the rail.

 

A multiple group stakes winner this winter and spring in Dubai, Shadwell Stable's Tamarkuz makes his second U.S. start in the Forego. In his North American debut, the 5-year-old son of champion sprinter Speightstown was fourth behind Grade 1 winners Honor Code, Tonalist and Private Zone in the Grade 1 Met Mile June 6 at Belmont.

 

"He ran very well that day," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. "I thought it was a very good effort. We decided to point for this right after that race and he's trained well since. He's had plenty of races in Dubai, so we didn't want to over-race him. We're happy to have him. He's a real nice horse, and he does everything right."

 

Meet-leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. will be in the irons from post 6.

 

Rounding out the Forego field are multiple Grade 3 winners Salutos Amigos, most recently fourth in the Vanderbilt, and Falling Sky, coming off a head victory in the seven-furlong Trinniberg Stakes August 1 at Gulfstream Park; Den's Legacy, a Grade 2 winner that has placed in seven other graded stakes; Grade 2 winner Bourbon Courage, making his second start for trainer Graham Motion off a runner-up effort in the Hockessin Stakes July 18 at Delaware Park; stakes winner Viva Majorca, sixth in last year's Travers; Grade 3-placed Run for Logistics, second in three straight allowance races; and Takajo, a seven-furlong optional claiming winner August 2 at the Spa making his stakes debut for trainer John Terranova.