Pure Sensation notches third Turf Monster triumph

In six seasons of competition, Pure Sensation has been highly consistent. In turf sprints at Parx Racing, he has been consistently excellent.

On Monday, 7-year-old Pure Sensation won the Grade 3, $300,000 Turf Monster for the third time. He also won the five-furlong race in 2017 and 2015.

In six grass starts at Parx, Purse Sensation now has five wins and a third. His other two victories have come in the Grade 3 Parx Dash, which he won in 2017 and 2016.

Pure Sensation paid $9 on Monday, partly because his lone Parx loss came in his most recent start in the Parx Dash on July 7, when he finished third, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.

A gray son of Zensational who was bred and is owned by Frank and Patricia Generazio, Pure Sensation now has a 10-5-5 record from 29 career starts. He has earned more than $1.5 million.

Pure Sensation has been trained throughout his career by Christophe Clement and was ridden in the Turf Monster by Kendrick Carmouche, who has been aboard for nine of Pure Sensation's last 12 races, including five wins.

Pure Sensation made the early lead in the Turf Monster from post 1 while being pressed by the filly Smiling Causeway and Vision Perfect, who won the Parx Dash by a nose.

Pool Winner, the Parx Dash runner-up, and 2-1 favorite Imprimis raced third and fourth, about three lengths behind the leading trio.
On the far turn, Pure Sensation, Smiling Causeway, and Vision Perfect lined up inches apart, while Imprimis commenced a wide move after them.

Smiling Causeway dropped back entering the stretch leaving Pure Sensation and Vision Perfect to fight it out. The battle went down to the wire with Pure Sensation holding sway by a neck.

Pure Sensation was timed in 56.42 seconds following splits of 22.44 and 44.58.

Rainbow Heir, who was well back early, finished with a strong stretch charge to best Imprimis for third by a nose. In all, Rainbow Heir, who was making his first start of the year after standing at stud in Florida last winter, and Imprimis were beaten three-quarters of a length.
Imprimis tried hard the entire race but the head start he spotted the early leaders turned out to be too much to overcome.