Noble Court (Doneraile Court), the 7-2 second choice, trailed the five-horse
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“He’s fast. He’s really fast,” Espinoza said. “I’ve ridden some very good,
very fast horses. But I’ve never ridden one like him. If you’re talking
sprinters, he’s the fastest I’ve ever ridden.”
“This is all the racing for him for now,” Baffert said. “I want to keep him
real sharp for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Zensational began his career with trainer Bill Mott, running fourth in his
career debut at Saratoga last August, and wasn’t seen again until showing up in
a six-furlong Santa Anita maiden on February 21 under Baffert’s care. One 3
3/4-length victory later and the three-year-old next tested his mettle against
allowance/optional claiming rivals while stretching out to a mile. Zensational
led by five lengths into the stretch of that event, but was caught and wound up
1 1/2 lengths back in second. He broke through his entry-level allowance
condition with a 1 1/4-length score when cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs over
Hollywood’s synthetic, then became the first sophomore in a quarter-century to
land the Triple Bend H. (G1) over seven furlongs. Last time, the gray earned
another gate-to-wire score in the Bing Crosby S. (G1) at Del Mar. He has now
bankrolled $609,300 from a line of 7-5-1-0.
Bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm, Zensational is out of dual stakes winner
Joke (Phone Trick), who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 3 victress Trip (Lord
at War [Arg]) and multiple stakes winner Laity (Pulpit). This is the same family
as Grade 2-placed stakes hero Prom Shoes (Include) and Canadian Grade 3 winner
Clearly Foxy (Volponi), who was third in last year’s American Oaks Invitational
(G1).
Zensational sold for $20,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, but came to
his current connections as a $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Calder two-year-old in
training. He has an unnamed yearling half-brother by Eddington.