Pure Sensation Wins Turf Monster a Third Time
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Photo: Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Pure Sensation wins the Turf Monster Stakes at Parx Racing
The turf sprint monster of Parx Racing most assuredly is Pure Sensation.
After battling for a contested lead throughout while racing inside, Pure Sensation dug deep in the stretch to win the Sept. 3 Turf Monster Stakes (G3) at Parx, taking the race for a second straight year and third time overall.
The victory by the Patricia Generazio homebred marked 7-year-old Pure Sensation's fifth victory in six starts—all grade 3 stakes—sprinting on the Parx turf. Trained by Christophe Clement, the Zensational gelding bounced back from his first-ever loss at Parx, a third-place finish in the July 7 Parx Dash Stakes (G3) won by Vision Perfect.
Pure Sensation turned the tables Monday. Racing a couple of paths off the rail in the stretch under Kendrick Carmouche, he refused to yield, holding off a determined Vision Perfect to prevail by about a neck in :56.42. Vision Perfect and late-running third-place finisher Rainbow Heir are both trained by Jason Servis.
The dramatic finish followed a three-way early battle. After breaking from the rail in the field of eight, Pure Sensation was pressed by both Smiling Causeway and Vision Perfect throughout. Those three were heads apart through a quarter-mile of :22.44 registered by Pure Sensation. In the turn, Pure Sensation actually found himself third as Smiling Causeway took the lead by the slimmest of margins, with Vision Perfect just a head in front of Pure Sensation.
But Pure Sensation battled right back, coming off the rail a bit in early stretch, still racing inside, then delivering a focused stretch run to secure the win. Bred in Florida out of the Disco Rico mare Pure Disco, he improved his record to 10-5-5 from 29 starts, with earnings of $1,546,050.
Also on the Monday card, You're to Blame ran down War Story with determination to take home the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (G3). The 1 1/2-mile dirt event marked the first graded score for Bortolazzo Stable's 4-year-old son of Distorted Humor , a Todd Pletcher trainee who came off a 1 1/8-mile allowance/optional claimer win Aug. 13 at Saratoga Race Course.
After 3-5 choice War Story showed six rivals through fractions of :25.21, :51.12, and 1:17.96 with You're to Blame in pursuit inside throughout, the eventual winner was asked for run by jockey Paco Lopez en route to a 1:42.67 mile. You're to Blame responded and took the lead near the sixteenth pole, then battled War Story for the remainder of the test before putting him away by a neck at the wire.
The final time was 2;32.40. Big Dollar Bill completed the trifecta, 3 3/4 lengths back.
Bred in Kentucky by Bryant H. Prentice III out of the Malibu Moon mare Bon Jovi Girl, You're to Blame was a $440,000 purchase by agent Steven Young from the Lane's End consignment to the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. As a yearling, he sold for $400,000 to Woodford Racing via Denali Stud's consignment at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The win improved his record to 5-3-4 from 18 starts, with earnings of $451,715.