Melatonin continues strong form with Grade 1 Gold Cup win
Sitting in second throughout the early stages of the race, Melatonin sat just off the flank of the pacesetter before seizing control coming off the far turn. The bay gelding then had to hold off a brave charge from the runner-up in order to claim the victory in the 1 ¼ mile $500,000 Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
As expected, Lieutenant Colonel broke running from gate 4 to go straight to the lead. Melatonin moved up from gate 7 to sit just to the outside of that rival in second. Win the Space took up third with last year's Gold Cup winner Hard Aces in fourth. Next came Bal a Bali, Second Summer, Imperative, and Hoppertunity.
The running order did not change at all around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch. With everyone content with their running position, Lieutenant Colonel set splits of :23.83, :47.70, and 1:11.48.
On the far turn Smokin' Joe Talamo gave Melatonin his cue, and the duo moved up to take on Lieutenant Colonel. That one did not put up much of a fight as Melatonin moved past him to take over the lead, but Win the Space was not going to let Melatonin get an easy win.
Moving with him off the turn, Win the Space and Gary Stevens made Melatonin work through the stretch. It looked close for several strides, but Melatonin was able to put away the brave Win the Space and pull away to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a sharp final time of 1:59.79.
Hard Aces held his spot right behind those two to run third with Hoppertunity closing from last to round out the superfecta. Imperative ran fifth, Lieutenant Colonel faded to sixth, and Second Summer and Bal a Bali completed the order of finish.
Winning jockey Joe Talamo said afterwards, "He's a jockey's dream. 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."
Gary Stevens, who was aboard the runner-up, stated post race, "It was a huge run. It was a fun race. He settled great for his first time going a mile and a quarter and it was just a really professional race from him."
As the 9-5 favorite, Melatonin paid $5.60/$4.00/$3.00. Win the Space, the 24-1 outsider, returned $24.80/$9.40, and Hard Aces returned $5.00. The $1 exacta paid $66.80, the $1 trifecta returned $394.40, and the $1 superfecta was worth $1,890.30.
By Kodiak Kowboy and out of the Yankee Victor mare Yanquee Reign, Melatonin has really come into his own as a 4-year old for owner Tarabilla Farms, Inc and trainer David Hofmans. He began the year with a decisive victory in an optional claimer before annexing the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap off 16-1 odds. He followed that up with a good second to Effinex in the Oaklawn Handicap, proving that his Big Cap victory was no fluke.
The Gold Cup was the gelding's second grade 1 victory in as many attempts. The win improved his overall record to 13: 5-3-3 for purse earnings of $1,218,552. Additionally, tonight's win kept him perfect both at Santa Anita and at the 10 furlong distance.
Afterwards trainer Hofmans talked about his nerves and how everything came together. "The emotions were pretty high. I'm normally low key but today I was really nervous. It was his big test today," he explained. "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."
"We were gunning for the Breeders' Cup Classic anyway but to win this is quite a bonus!" Hofmans continued. The Gold Cup is a Win and You're In Challenge Race guaranteeing Melatonin an automatic spot in the starting gate for the $6,000,000 Breeders' Cup Classic with fees paid.