Back home in California after an April foray to Arkansas, Melatonin notched his second Grade 1 victory of the season in Saturday's $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
A 5-year-old Kodiak Kowboy gelding, Melatonin became a racing millionaire with a length-and-a-quarter victory over Win the Space with defending champion Hard Aces three quarters of a length farther back. Hoppertunity, Oaklawn Park's Grade 2 Rebel winner in 2014 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, was nosed out for third.
Melatonin came off a second-place finish to the Jimmy Jerkens-trained Effinex in the Grade 2 $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap April 16 going a mile and an eighth. Ridden by Joe Talamo, the David Hofmans trainee clocked a fast-rated mile and a quarter in 1:59.79 and paid $5.60 as the 9-5 favorite in the Gold Cup, moved from Hollywood Park after the track's 2013 closure.
"I was very proud of him. That was his best race," Hofmans said. "He ran two seconds faster than his last race at a mile and a quarter (2:02.01 in the March 12 Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap). I was very pleased with his effort."
Bumping his record to 5-3-3 from 13 lifetime starts with earnings of $1,218,552, Melatonin earned a guaranteed berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Santa Anita. Saying "I've got to give him time, because he's not that big (of) a horse," Hofmans mentioned the Oct. 1 Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita as Melatonin's next start.
The top four Gold Cup finishers have Oaklawn racing experience. Win the Space, as a maiden, finished behind future Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Grade 1 2015 Arkansas Derby. Hard Aces finished sixth in the 2015 Oaklawn Handicap, won by Race Day.
* Oaklawn stakes winner Sarah Sis returned to the winner's circle in Saturday's Grade 3 $100,000 Chicago Handicap, prevailing by one length in a front-running effort for jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. She went seven furlongs in 1:23.16, paying $5.60 as the 9-5 favorite.
Sarah Sis finished second to Haveyougoneaway in Oaklawn's $100,000 American Beauty Jan. 23 at six furlongs.
The 4-year-old filly counts Oaklawn's 2015 Grade 3 Honeybee among four graded victories for trainer Ingrid Mason, who purchased Sarah Sis for $20,000 at an Ocala, Fla., sale. Sarah Sis is 7 for 18 lifetime with earnings of $662,500.
The Mason-trained 3-year-old filly Marquee Miss, a two-time Oaklawn stakes winner, returns in Thursday's Grade 3 $200,000 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows. Channing Hill rides Marquee Miss (10-1 on the morning line) from post four at a mile and a sixteenth. Thrilled, an Uncle Mo filly with five stakes placings for trainer Todd Pletcher, is the 5-2 program favorite from post two.
* Hill scored his 1,000th career victory Friday at Churchill Downs aboard Shut the Gate for Chris Hartman, Oaklawn's 2015 training champion. Hill won a single-season Oaklawn-best 33 races for fourth place in the local standings this year. His biggest Oaklawn victory is aboard Sugar Shock for trainer Doug Anderson in the 2014 Grade 3 Fantasy.
* Multiple stakes winner Texas Chrome, third in Oaklawn's $100,000 Bachelor April 15 at six furlongs, is the early 2-1 favorite in Friday's Iowa Derby. Trained by J.R. Caldwell, the Grasshopper colt has stakes victories in his native Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Texas Chrome comes off a third-place finish to Kentucky Derby show horse Gun Runner in the Grade 3 Matt Winn June 18 at Churchill Downs. Ivan Diego rides Texas Chrome from post three going a mile and a sixteenth.
Grade 3 stakes-placed Synchrony (4-1), a one-time Triple Crown prospect for trainer Donnie Von Hemel, breaks from post five with Shaun Bridgmohan up. American Freedom (5-2), a last-out Pimlico stakes winner for Bob Baffert, gets Rafael Bejarano aboard from post four.
Sports on 06/29/2016