Racing
Zou’s Sensation-al campaign rolls on
Tenacious on-pacer out-toughs rivals in New Year’s Eve feature.
Zou Sensation added another win to what was a 2025 when he proved too tough for his rivals in Wednesday's 1400-metre Kensington Stakes at Flemington.
The Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin -trained on-pacer outlasted Steparty to claim the $175,000 Listed event at the 11th run of a campaign that began all the way back on May 10.
The preparation has included five wins, two at Listed level, a Group 2 second placing and top-four finishes in both the $1m The Meteorite and The Supernova.
Wednesday's $105,000 winner's purse lifted his career earnings beyond $1m and Troy Corstens was not shocked to see him stand up and has not ruled out pressing on with the campaign if Zou Sensation is up for it.
"I was actually talking to Will (Larkin) this morning and he said, 'I reckon I'm going to have a bet today' and he said, 'do you think he's gone (trained) off?'
"I said, 'mate, he's as good as he ever is'. But it's always hard when you're coming to the end of the preparation and he's been up for a year.
"He's just an iron horse. Someone just said to me, 'are you going to tip him out now' and I said no. There's no way I'm tipping him out, he's going so well, why would you tip him out?"
The son of Zoustar proved he still has a thirst for the contest by the way he dug deep when challenged by Steparty ($6.50) late in Wednesday's race.
The $4 second favourite scored by a head from that Horsham gelding with $2.50 favourite Persian Spirit two lengths away third.
Jamie Melham, who returned to the saddle aboard Zou Sensation for the first time since early spring, said the race worked out perfectly and the once-headstrong gelding's performance was a mark of his development as a racehorse.
"Today everything was just easy. He was an absolute dream to ride and he was very relaxed," Melham said.
"That's how we thought it would play out, the map, and it worked out perfectly."
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