In the Zone for the Forego

This year’s edition of the GI Forego S. is a competitive one, with a field of 12 contestants for the ‘Win and You’re In’ test for the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

The speedy 6-year-old gelding Private Zone (Macho Uno), winner of last year’s GI Vosburgh Invitational and GI Cigar Mile H., was transferred into the barn of Jorge Navarro at the start of the season and has done well in his four starts since. Runner-up to Honor Code (A.P. Indy) in the GII Gulfstream Park H. going that track’s one-turn mile Mar 7, the Ontario-bred wired the seven-furlong GII Churchill Downs S. May 2 before rounding out the GI Metropolitan H. trifecta behind Honor Code and Tonalist (Tapit) June 6. He easily annexed the GII Belmont Sprint S. back at this distance, is fresh off an eight-week rest and just might be able to get things his way on the front end and wire this one. Private Zone has never raced at Saratoga, but fired a bullet a half-mile in :45.80 (1/96) over the main track Aug. 22.

“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. He seems to like New York. He runs well up here, so we’re ready.”

Last year’s GI King’s Bishop S. winner The Big Beast (Yes It’s True) kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a win in an Oaklawn allowance Apr. 4 and was fourth after never seeming to take to the Aqueduct surface in the GI Carter H. Apr. 4. He registered a gutsy performance in the GI A.G. Vanderbilt H. here Aug. 1, and was nosed out after a stretch duel with Rock Fall (Speightstown) to finish second.

“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 for Saturday.”

Since being purchased by Matthew Schera and moved to the Todd Pletcher stable, Race Day (Tapit) has jumped up and done exceptionally well. He took Oaklawn’s GIII Razorback H. in March and added a win in the GII Oaklawn H. next out Apr. 11. He came off a nearly three-month layoff in Monmouth’s GIII Salvator Mile July 5 where he was bumped at the start, never seriously factored and finished sixth.

“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 of Race Day’s run in the Salvator Mile. “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.”

The David Jacobson-trained Salutos Amigos (Salute the Sarge) started the season strong with wins in the GIII Toboggan S. and GII Tom Fool H. at Aqueduct, but finished eighth in Meydan’s G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen S. Mar. 28. He returned from that effort with a win in Monmouth’s sloppy Mr. Prospector S. June 28 and recently finished fourth in the Aug. 1. Jacobson has been unusually cold at Saratoga so far this meet, and Salutos Amigos may need to return to his early-season form to get a piece.

Shadwell Stable’s Tamarkuz (Speightstown), a multiple stakes winner in Dubai, including the G2 Godolphin Mile S. Mar. 28, was fourth in his U.S. debut for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin in the Met Mile.

“He ran very well that day,” McLaughlin offered. “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.”