Private Zone Goes Wire to Wire in Cigar Mile
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Private Zone, runner-up to Flat Out in the 2013 edition of the Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I), returned Nov. 29 to claim victory going wire to wire in the $753,750 event at Aqueduct Racetrack .
The stakes carried a guaranteed purse of $500,000. Under the incentives built into the race conditions, Private Zone ran for the additional money as a previous grade I stakes winner.
The 5-year-old gelded son of Macho Uno completed the mile under jockey Martin Pedroza in 1:34.39 over a fast track while airing by five lengths. He is trained by Alfredo Velazquez for Good Friends Stable, a group that includes retired paralyzed jockey Rene Douglas.
Private Zone came off a third in the Nov. 1 XpressBet Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park to win the Cigar Mile. One start prior to his Breeders' Cup effort, he won the Sept. 27 Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park for the second season in a row.
"He was great. That was the way I was expecting him to run because he was training super, Velazquez said. "I worked him here the other day, and it was (the slowest) track I have ever seen, and he worked 1:01 4/5."
Private Zone was off alertly from post 1 and set the pace through opening fractions of :22.18, :44.18, and 1:08.34 before turning back a mild bid from 5-2 favorite Secret Circle, who rated behind the winner throughout. the late-running Bourbon Courage finished a neck back in third.
"The fractions didn't bother me because he was doing it easy," Velazquez remarked. "When I saw :44 (for the half), I said, 'They're going to have to come and get him.' (The break) was very important because of the track. Everything inside today was running."
"Unbelievable performance," Pedroza said. "I was expecting him to run good, but not that good. I was able to get all the speed at once at the break."
Jockey Joel Rosario said Secret Circle, the 2013 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner who came to the Cigar Mile after running second in this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint, had a bit of a bad start.
"When I came out of the gate, he kind of stumbled a little bit, but he recovered really quickly; he does everything so easily," Rosario explained. "I can't believe the horse on the lead just kept on going. I was trying to track him and stay with him, but he was in command the whole way."
Private Zone returned $11.60, $5.80, and $4.10 at odds of 9-2. Secret Circle paid $4.60 and $3.30, with Bourbon Courage bringing $4.10. Big Business, Vyjack, Noble Moon, Regally Ready, Transparent, and Itsmyluckyday completed the order of finish.
Bred in Ontario by Adena Springs from the Siphon mare Auburn Beauty, Private Zone improved his record to 7-7-2 from 25 career starts for earnings of $1,521,820. He was a $15,000 purchase from the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale from the Adena consignment when Douglas K. Rogelio signed the ticket.
Private Zone spent the early part of his career in 2011-2012 in Panama, where he earned three victories—including a group I win—before launching his U.S. racing career in July 2012.