Pure Sensation Ekes Out Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup Score

GRANTVILLE, PA – Patricia Generazio’s homebred Pure Sensation overcame a less-than-ideal surface to eke out the gate-to-wire score in Saturday’s $100,000 Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup Stakes at Penn National.

Breaking from the rail under Kendrick Carmouche as the 3/5 favorite, Pure Sensation immediately received a bump from a lugging inward Completed Pass. Quickly recovered, Pure Sensation opened up an initial lead of 2 lengths while posting fractions of :22.21 and :45.59. Still leading at the top of the stretch, Pure Sensation was soon put to task as Completed Pass came rallying behind him. Despite receiving right-handed encouragement, Pure Sensation drifted out late and brushed with Completed Pass, but ht still held on to neck out the win in a final time of :58.03 for the 5-furlong sprint over the yielding turf course.

“He knows his job,” Carmouche said. “He’s an old horse. He’s a fighter. Standing in the gate perfect, I just had to point him forward and he went from there. He broke just so sharp and the race was controlled from there. It’s always good to get on my boy. He knows me and I know him. We’re like friends. We go sit down and eat dinner and talk shit together.”

Completed Pass was a length clear of Nice Tune in third. Square Shooter hit the gate at the start and never played a factor before completing the order of finish.

Siralfredthegreat was a trainer scratch.

Pure Sensation’s win was his second straight following an allowance event at Gulfstream Park on April 12 to begin his 2019 season. The 8-year-old gelded son of Zensational improved his record to 32-12-5-6 with $1,653,550 earned.

“I was a bit concerned about the yielding turf,” said assistant trainer Christophe Lorieul. “I got here this morning (and) I walked the turf course. Luckily, they had moved the rail, so we had the fresh turf course in the 1-2-3 paths, but still, they had quite a bit of rain on Thursday. I think he always shows a much better turn of foot – at least to his liking – when it’s rock hard. We didn’t know what to do, and then we got here this morning, and I said, ‘You know what? I think we’ll take a shot because that turf course is very similar to Parx.’ They cut the grass really low and then stick to the rail. As the 1 horse, we didn’t have to go to the outside and be on that ground, so it worked out today.”

Pure Sensation returned $3.40 to win and $2.10 to place, while Completed Pass paid $2.40 to place. There was no show betting.