Melatonin may just train up to Breeders' Cup Classic

Melatonin, a winner of two Grade 1 races in the first half of the year, may run out of time to prepare for the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1, trainer David Hofmans said.

Hofmans said he may start Melatonin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5 after a series of workouts in the coming weeks.

“I don’t know if we’ll make the Awesome Again,” he said. “The other option is to go in off works.”

On Monday at Santa Anita, Melatonin worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds, his second workout of the month. Hofmans said he timed Melatonin galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.60.

Melatonin worked three furlongs in 35.60 seconds on Sept. 6. He was out of training briefly during the summer because of an illness that prevented him from starting in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 20.

Melatonin has not raced since winning the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 25. He won the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March. The win in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita gave Melatonin an automatic berth in the BC Classic.

Owned by Susan Osborne, the 5-year-old Melatonin has won 5 of 13 starts and $1,218,552.

Trainer Bob Baffert had two prominent workers on Monday with the Grade 1 stakes winners Dortmund and Lord Nelson.

Dortmund, third to the champions California Chrome and Beholder in the Pacific Classic, worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds. He is a candidate for the Awesome Again Stakes.

Lord Nelson, the winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in July, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60. He could start in the $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship at six furlongs Oct. 8.