Pure Sensation notches third Parx Dash win

Pure Sensation won the Grade 3, $200,000 Parx Dash for the third time in his career Saturday, when he cruised home by 4 1/4 lengths in the featured event at Parx Racing. Rocket Heat finished second, while it was another 4 1/2 lengths back to Smokin Nitro in third.

The Parx Dash was an about five-furlong turf sprint run over yielding ground.

Pure Sensation ($4.60) won the race for the first time at age 5 and again at 6. He is now 8. Pure Sensation also has won three runnings of the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx. Overall, he is 6 for 7 over the local course. It was announced Saturday that Pure Sensation has won more graded races over the Parx turf than any other horse. (Ben’s Cat won four graded races over the local course, taking the Turf Monster twice and the Parx Dash twice as a Grade 3. Ben's Cat also won an ungraded running of the Parx Dash.)

Pure Sensation broke on top Saturday and proceeded to set fractions of 22.18 seconds for the opening quarter and 46.81 for the half-mile, pushed along by Vision Perfect. Pure Sensation was in hand in the final stages, while covering the distance in 1:00.42.

Paco Lopez was aboard for trainer Christophe Clement.

Pure Sensation is a son of Zensational who races for his breeder, Patricia Generazio. Pure Sensation has now won 13 of 33 starts for earnings of $1,773,550. He is 3 for 3 this year, with his other wins coming in a Gulfstream allowance in April and the $100,000 Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup at Penn National in June.