Melatonin Doubles Up in Gold Cup

Melatonin | Benoit photo

Tarabilla Farms's Melatonin (Kodiak Kowboy) was far from a household name when he upended the GI Santa Anita H. at 16-1 two back Mar. 12, but the 5-year-old gelding was no secret in Saturday's GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and ran to 9-5 top billing to earn a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The bay was pushed along from the gate by rider Joe Talamo to stalk longshot Lieutenant Colonel (Colonel John) from the two path through splits of :23.82, :47.70 and 1:11.48. Putting his head in front leaving the far turn, he was immediately tackled to his outside by the lightly raced longest shot on the board Win the Space (Pulpit). The favorite looked in serious danger of being upset by that outsider to midstretch, but found another gear and pulled away in the final sixteenth to score by two lengths. Last year's Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Hard Aces (Hard Spun) was third, while Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) settled for a non-threatening fourth in his first start since a bang-up third in the G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 26.

Melatonin becomes the first horse to complete the Big 'Cap/Gold Cup double since this event was moved from Hollywood Park in 2014. Game On Dude (Awesome Again) swept both races one year prior to that.

“He's a jockey's dream,” offered Talamo. “He just does his thing. He does not have to go to the lead. As you saw, he laid second, comfortably. What impressed me the most about him today was when Win the Space came to him at the eighth pole, he just battled back. He gives you everything he's got.

Melatonin spent the first five races of his career sprinting for Jeff Bonde before being privately purchased by these connections. He was found to be suffering from the neurological disease equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) after changing hands, and didn't make a start from February of 2014 to August of 2015. His first run back was a Del Mar optional claiming victory–still sprinting–last August, and he was runner-up at 28-1 in the down-the-hill GIII Eddie S. here in October two starts later. Third in a main-track optional claimer at Del Mar Nov. 7, he stepped forward in his 5-year-old debut and first attempt at a route, cruising by 3 3/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles locally Feb. 5. Melatonin earned a career-best 107 Beyer Speed Figure when defeating Hard Aces and highly touted East Coast invader Effinex (Mineshaft) in the Mar. 12 Big 'Cap over track and trip, and found only the latter too good in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 16.

“I think mostly we gave him enough time to get rid of that awful thing in his body,” trainer David Hofmans said of what the key to Melatonin's seemingly out-of-nowhere success has been. “I think that held him back and since we got rid of that he's developed into such a nice horse.”

Hofmans also trains MGSW Home Run Kitten (Kitten's Joy), fourth in Saturday's GI Triple Bend S., for Susan Osborne's Tarabilla Farms. Hofmans and Osborne were responsible for Desert Code (E Dubai), upset winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2008.

“The emotions were pretty high,” admitted Hofmans. “I'm normally low key but today I was really nervous. It was his big test today. I thought there were some quality horses in here that he had to beat in order to think about going on [to bigger things]. The difference is that today he validated himself. Any horse can beat any horse, on any given day. But to do it again, and maybe even again, then you start thinking.”

The winner's second dam is a full to MGISW Twice the Vice. His dam produced a Run Away and Hide filly last season and a Yes It's True colt earlier this year.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
GOLD CUP AT SANTA ANITA S.-GI, $501,035, SA, 6-25, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 1:59.79, ft.
1–MELATONIN, 124, g, 5, by Kodiak Kowboy
1st Dam: Yanquee Reign (SP), by Yankee Victor
2nd Dam: Quarteira, by Vice Regent
3rd Dam: Double Set, by Resurgent
($20,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP; $15,000 RNA 2yo '13 BARJAN).
O-Tarabilla Farms, Inc.; B-S. D Brilie LP (KY); T-David E.
Hofmans; J-Joseph Talamo. $300,000. Lifetime Record:
13-5-3-3, $1,218,552. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++.[bullet ad=”metanovic-melatonin-double”][bullet ad=”feld-famfind”][bullet ad=”59829″][bullet ad=”denali-raised-sold”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Win the Space, 120, c, 4, Pulpit–Teamgeist (Arg), by
Mutakddim. ($65,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP; $360,000 2yo '14
FTFMAR). O-Kretz Racing LLC; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY);
T-George Papaprodromou. $100,000.[bullet ad=”guyhubert-andkingsequine-yearlingpurchase”][bullet ad=”vanleer-2yopurchase”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-tm-for-you”]3–Hard Aces, 122, h, 6, Hard Spun–All in With Aces, by Quiet
American. O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-Dreamchaser Thorobreds
(KY); T-John W. Sadler. $60,000.[bullet ad=”metanovic-private-purchase”]Margins: 1HF, 3/4, NO. Odds: 1.80, 24.00, 8.20.
Also Ran: Hoppertunity, Imperative, Lieutenant Colonel, Second Summer, Bal a Bali (Brz). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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