Dortmund to Scratch from Awesome Again Field

Citing a desire to find an easier spot, trainer Art Sherman said multiple grade 1 winner Dortmund will scratch from the Sept. 30 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park in what was to be the 5-year-old's first start since returning from a brief retirement.

Dortmund has not raced since running fourth in the April 1 Santana Mile Stakes at Santa Anita, which marked his sixth straight defeat. His retirement was announced days later, but he was put back into training in July when a stud deal was not reached during the summer.

Sherman said the strength of the Awesome Again field—which features grade 1 winners Cupid and Midnight Storm—as well as its 1 1/8-mile distance prompted him to seek out a softer race for the massive son of Big Brown  to attempt his comeback.

"I talked it over with (owner) Kaleem (Shah) and the race really came up tough for a horse that has been off for six months," Sherman said. "I don't feel real comfortable about it. I think I can get him an easier spot than this for his first race back.

"Going 1 1/8 miles, you don't want to go that far right off the bat."

Sherman said he would look to bring Dortmund back in an overnight stakes at Santa Anita, likely in the Oct. 28 Comma to the Top Stakes going eight furlongs.

"That's where I'll point him. It is a flat mile, it will be a lot easier on him," Sherman said.

While acknowledging the challenge of bringing a horse back to the races after a retirement, Sherman said he is still optimistic Dortmund can be productive on the track considering he wasn't bred to any mares and had what basically amounted to a six-month freshening.

"He's been training pretty good, he's been training forwardly," Sherman said. "You know he's a big horse, he gets his aches and pains and you kind of have to baby him a bit. But he's a flat racehorse. You get him right and he's going to perform."

Dortmund has made two starts for Sherman since being transferred from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The chestnut horse last visited the winner's circle when he took the 2015 Native Diver Stakes (G3), an effort that capped off a sophomore campaign that saw him win five of seven starts including that year's Santa Anita Derby (G1).