Horses like Zensational who have a lot of hype and not a great deal of substance are the very type that you can make a great deal of money beating.
In the Pat O'Brien he faced a woefully bad field of five where the next best horse was Noble Court, whose biggest accomplishment in 2009 was a win in the Ack Ack, a race that featured one of the most remarkable pace collapses in the history of racing. Zensational was the only speed and got away with a first quarter in :23.
In the Bing Crosby he once again faced a pace-challenged field as Delta Storm was the only horse who could keep him even remotely honest. He ran hard to clear and stayed clear in a solid effort.
The race that impressed me from him more than any other was the Friday night optional claimer where he stalked and took over through maniacal fractions. That, however, can't look as good when you consider the caliber of horses he was holding off late.
He's going to face incredible early pressure from the word go even if the other speed is simply Fatal Bullet. I am very interested in betting against him if he's going to be asked to withstand early pressure and still stand up late.
NT
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