Private Zone joins Old Friends

Private Zone, a standout runner in the United States and Panama, has been retired to Old Friends Equine Retirement in Georgetown, Ky.

An 8-year-old Macho Uno gelding, Private Zone finished his ontrack career with 10 wins in 33 starts for earnings of $2,924,620.

Bred in Ontario by Adena Springs, Private Zone sold for $15,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale and was exported to Panama, where he began his career. He was named the country’s champion 2-year-old male in 2011, highlighted by a win in the Group 3 Clasico German Ruiz B.

He returned at 3 to win a Group 1 six-furlong sprint, before being sold in the middle of his 3-year-old season to Chicago-based Good Friends Stable, led by former jockey Rene Douglas, and put in the barn of trainer Doug O’Neill. By the end of the season, Private Zone turned in runnerup efforts in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, the Grade 3 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes, and the listed Damascus Stakes in Southern California.

The following year, Private Zone rolled off wins in the listed Pirate’s Bounty Stakes and Grade 1 Vosburgh Invitational Stakes in the two starts following an unplaced effort in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. An unplaced start in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita was followed by a runnerup effort in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile to finish the season.

He returned in 2014 with an abbreviated campaign under new trainer Alfredo Velazquez that included a successful defense of his Vosburgh score and a redemptive win in the Cigar Mile, along with a third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Private Zone’s 2015 campaign proved to be his most successful, starting with a runner-up finish behind eventual champion older male Honor Code in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap under new trainer Jorge Navarro. He rebounded with a win in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes, and then finished third behind Honor Code and Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.

After the Met Mile, Private Zone rolled off wins in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes and the Grade 1 Forego Stakes before finishing third to eventual champion sprinter Runhappy in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

I’m a Chatterbox retired

Three-time Grade 1 winner I’m a Chatterbox has been retired, her connections reported this week.

A daughter of Munnings who raced as a homebred for Fletcher and Carolyn Gray, I’m a Chatterbox will visit Darley stallion Medaglia d’Oro before this breeding season concludes.

I’m a Chatterbox, trained by Larry Jones, concludes her career with a record of 19-8-4-3 and earnings of $2,354,454. She won or placed in 12 stakes, with her Grade 1 victories coming in the 2015 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing and last year’s Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park and Spinster Stakes at Keeneland. She crossed the line first by a nose in another Grade 1 event, the 2015 Coaching Club American Oaks, but was disqualified to second behind Curalina for interference. Her other major stakes placings included a third in the 2015 Kentucky Oaks.

I’m a Chatterbox raced twice this year, finishing second in the Grade 3 Houston Ladies Classic and third in an optional-claiming event on turf.