Pure Sensation gets through on the rail to win Turf Monster

BENSALEM, Pa. – Pure Sensation improved his record at Parx to 4 for 4 on Monday by winning the Grade 3, $300,000 Turf Monster for the second time.

Pure Sensation is fast, but he tracked the pace along the inner rail under Kendrick Carmouche in the Turf Monster. When a hole opened in midtsretch, Pure Sensation accelerated and went by pacesetting Bold Thunder to win by a half-length.

There was a four-horse cavalry charge behind Pure Sensation. Late-running Mongolian Saturday finished second, a nose before Snowday. It was another nose back to Rainbow Heir in fourth, and then a head back to fifth-place Bold Thunder.

Pure Sensation paid $4.80 to win as the favorite. He was timed in 57.13 for five furlongs over a turf course rated good.

"At the three-eighths pole he was off the bit," Carmouche said. "But I knew he would get big-hearted if the rail opened up. When it did he went right up in there."

Trained by Christophe Clement for Patricia Generazio, Pure Sensation Won the 2015 Turf Monster by a nose over Mongolian Saturday, who was second again Monday. Pure Sensation also has won the Grade 3 Parx Dash the past two years.

Pure Sensation has run in the last two editions of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, finishing third down the hill at Santa Anita last year and eighth at Keeneland going 5 1/2 furlongs in 2015. Christophe Lorieul, Clement's assistant, said Pure Sensation could try the Breeders' Cup Sprint again this year.

"The plan was that if he won this race we would consider it," Lorieul said. "He could go straight to the Breeders' Cup or he could go to the Belmont Turf Sprint first."

The $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint will be held at five furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 4. The $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational is a six-furlong race on Oct. 7.