Pure Sensation sets course record in Jaipur

Pure Sensation was gunned to the lead by Jose Ortiz from post 12, set a demanding pace, and just held off another Patricia Generazio-owned gray, Disco Partner, to take Saturday's $300,000 Jaipur (G3) at Belmont Park in course-record time.

The Christophe Clement-trained five-year-old by Zensational zipped an opening quarter in :21.64 and a half in :44.06. When asked by Ortiz for more in upper stretch, Pure Sensation responded and had just enough left to hold on for the 18-1 upset by a neck in a time of 1:06.76 for six furlongs on the firm Widener turf.

Bred in Florida by his owner, Pure Sensation returned $39.20.

"When this horse is right, he's a top-class horse and he proved it today," Clement said. "He's not an easy horse to keep right all the time because he's not the soundest horse. When he's training well, he runs well."

Disco Partner, never worse than second in four previous tries on the Belmont turf, kept that record intact with his runner-up placing. Finishing a length back in third was Grade 2 veteran Ready for Rye, who was a nose in front of 7-2 favorite A Lot.

This was the second graded turf score for Pure Sensation, who beat eventual Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner Mongolian Saturday in the Turf Monster H. (G3) at Parx last September. Pure Sensation was unplaced in the Turf Sprint and the February 6 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in two subsequent outings.

Pure Sensation was also victorious in the $100,000 Quick Call at Saratoga in 2014 and has placed in four other stakes. His record now stands at 16-5-4-2, $628,415. He was reared in Florida by the multiple stakes-winning Pure Disco, a daughter of Disco Rico.

(Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)