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Hall Of Fame - Sweet Sinsation
Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 1 year 3 weeks agoDirt Sprinting is a type of horse racing that both harbors tons of great winning streaks and tons of great surprises. Both of these were apparent in the story of Sweet Sinsation. Like many horses who run super short distances, Sweet Sinsation was a go to the front and run as fast as you can type. In her debut, she was 6 and 1/2 lengths ahead of the nearest at one point in the race. Of course, it wasn't sustainable but even after it shrank to four lengths she still had time to re-open up and win by 5 and 1/4 lengths in a $100,000 stakes race and her very first race. It only got further when she won the Foreigner Stakes next start by 6 and 3/4 lengths.
Then in a complete 180, she fought to the bitter end with a horse who would become a regular rival of hers. Wilder Mind was second the whole way behind Sweet Sinsation but then moved up to challenge. When they hit the line it was too close to call. And in fact, it was never able to be called. The two had hit the line at the exact same time. Both had undefeated records before and after the race. Sweet Sinsation stayed solo for the rest of the year, however, unchallenged with always a length or more between her and her rivals as she wired fields five times in a row in preparation for the Steward's Cup Juvenile Fillies Sprint. She treated it the same as her other races just now with a Grade 1 status attached to it. She wired the field with a fluctuating lead that at its highest was three lengths and at the finish line was 1 and 3/4 lengths. It was a perfect six for six seasons. Sweet Sinsation was now on the map to be a champion.
The first thing she did as a three-year-old was run in the Tremulous Echo Stakes against colts. Ironically the top two finishers were both fillies. The best of the two was Sweet Sinsation who went off the deep end speed-wise. By the second call she was 9 and 3/4 lengths clear. But she couldn't keep up the near double-digit margin forever and she tired quite a bit. Not enough to be beaten but at the line, the margin was 1/4 of that being 2 and 1/2 lengths. But after this, a fateful rematch with Wilder Mind came. And this time there wasn't a tie. When Sweet Sinsation led most of the way people thought she would hold on this time. But Wilder Mind came stronger than before and opened up nearly two lengths on her when they hit the wire. Sweet Sinsation was beaten for the very first time.
As soon as she lost she decided to reverse her luck winning the Grade 1 Era Stakes by half a length to Wilder Mind. Than Wilder Mind came third in the Grade 1 Challenge Stakes with Sweet Sinsation the winner. Losing one grade 2 didn't seem too bad now she had two new Grade 1 wins to make up for it. With one more win in the Grade 2 Kentucky Crown Ladies Sprint, she was on her way to being a favorite for the Steward's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. It seemed easy she would just go to the lead and do what she always did. When the gates flew she was greeted by someone unexpected. In front of her beating her to the punch was a horse named Zombie Fish. Zombie Fish was a huge longshot. She was four years old but only had won a single-stakes race and it was all the way back when she was two years old.
She had raced six times at age four and only finished in the top 3 two times. Her only win was in her last start and it was in a classified allowance race. In every way possible she should not have been challenging the duel grade 1 winning future Hall of Famer. Some just said she would fade in the second half but she stayed right there. No matter how hard she tried Sweet Sinsation couldn't get by the huge longshot and fell back to third as Zombie Fish shocked the entire sim world.
Despite such a huge loss, Sweet Sinsation still was able to win North American Champion Female Sprinter and conclude the year. She bounced off this end-of-year honor by starting the new year with a Grade 1 win in the Always In Love Stakes by a confident three lengths. But a start later she ran into a wall. If Looks Could was the name and he was invincible. Undefeated in twelve starts he had won North American Champion Sprinter. The filly and male sprint champs were ready to square off. In what was ultimately If Looks Could's final race. She beat an all-star field that included future mega sire Walk Off Grandslam but she served as a backdrop for If Looks Could's send-off. She couldn't keep up with the living legend who wired her 1 and 3/4 lengths capping off his career a perfect 13 for 13.
Even with his departure, she didn't get a break losing her next start to the aforementioned Walk Off Grandslam. She did make amends in her next two races winning a grade 3. Then taking her final prep in the Grade 1 Canadian Challenge on route to another go in the Steward's Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She got the jump on Zombie Fish this time stopping her from getting a repeat of last year. She outfinished Zombie Fish but did not win the race. With a 1 and 1/4 length lead at the top of the stretch she was nipped by Whensheswithme and Shetravelsintime by a nose and a neck respectively. Just missing out on the blanket photo finish just like the year before. The more things changed they stayed the same. She only had one more race after that the Pegasus Sprint with only three horses in it. She came in last after setting fast fractions and opening up a big lead she tired out and was nailed on the line. Losing a length to Benefit and Cognac.
It was a nice 150K in her pocket before she became a superstar broodmare. Producing 13 foals who combined to make $8,174,920 in progeny earnings. This included four separate millionaires. However, none of them won the Filly and Mare Sprint. Two got close but like their mom, it was no cigar. She did get a Steward's Cup win though in the Steward's Cup Juvenile Sprint with Sinister Mister. She also produced two foals with her old rivals Walk Off Grandslam and If Looks Could. The Walk-Off Grandslam foals were her two best Sinsuality and Sinsational. Both won the Canadian Challenge just like their mom. She's now pensioned and living a good life, when she finally hit the age of 20 years old she was inducted into the Hall Of Fame this very year.