Private Zone Speeds to Forego Victory

Jockey Martin Pedroza kept looking back in the stretch aboard Good Friends Stable's Private Zone in the $700,000 Forego Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 29 at Saratoga Race Course.



He might have even been surprised at how easily the 6-year-old son of Macho Uno   secured his fourth grade I score.



Private Zone went out to the lead unchallenged in the seven-furlong Forego and remained there throughout to win by 3 3/4 lengths. The Big Beast, who sat off the pace early, just outfinished closing longshot Viva Majorca for second by a head.

"It is hard to win in Saratoga, (but) they say a good horse can run anywhere," Pedroza said. "This horse impresses me every time he runs. He can carry his speed. Today I didn't want to hit him, but it is $700,000, so I just kind of tapped him once or twice. When I asked him to go, I screamed at him and he just took off."



The front-runner set fractions of :22.67, :45.10, and 1:08.53 through six furlongs before hitting the wire in 1:21.09 on a fast track for trainer Jorge Navarro. He also earned a guaranteed spot in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) with the Forego win.

"He's a special horse. He's all horse," Navarro said. "I just talked to the owners and our plan is to train him up to the Breeders' Cup. I didn't have him last year, but I think he's getting better and better. The more I have him, the more he shows me."



Off as the 8-5 favorite, Private Zone paid $5.20, $3.50, and $2.70 across the board. The Big Beast brought $4.20 and $3.60, and Viva Majorca delivered $10 to show.

Wildcat Red finished an even fourth, followed by Salutos Amigos, Tamarkuz, Falling Sky, Den's Legacy, Race Day, Run for Logistics, and Takajo, to complete the order of finish.

During the race, Bourbon Courage unseated jockey Joel Rosario, who walked into an ambulance after the spill. Rosario was replaced by jockey Javier Castellano aboard Twilight Eclipse in the next race, the Sword Dancer (gr. IT), while Jose Lezcano took the mount aboard Frosted in the Travers Stakes (gr. I) and Manny Franco was named to ride Coffee Clique in the Ballston Spa (gr. IIT).

Bred in Ontario by Adena Springs, Private Zone is out of the Siphon mare Auburn Beauty. He has a 10-8-3 record from 30 starts and just more than $2.6 million in earnings.