Spirit of Shanghai captured her racing debut in the 2ND race at Santa Anita Park on Sunday to give sire Shanghai Bobby his first winner as a stallion.
The dark bay filly broke slow under jockey Edwin Maldonado and stalked while three wide through the opening three-eighths. Spirit of Shanghai put in her move rounding the turn in the five-furlong maiden claiming contest and pulled off the one-length score as the 6-5 favorite.
Trained by John Brocklebank for owner William R. Peeples, Spirit of Shanghai is out of the Tiznow mare Yamato Damashii and comes from the same female family as champion Flanders.
Shanghai Bobby earned an Eclipse Award himself as the 2012 champion two-year-old male. The Todd Pletcher trainee went five-for-five in his juvenile season, including wins in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Hopeful Stakes (G1) and Champagne Stakes (G1).
The dark bay son of Harlan’s Holiday opened his three-year-old campaign in 2013 with a runner-up effort in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, but was no factor next out when fifth in the Florida Derby (G1).
Shanghai Bobby was sidelined for the next six months with a pelvic fracture but successfully returned to the winner’s circle in the Aljamin Stakes at Belmont Park. He exited that contest with a suspensory injury and was retired to stud at Ashford Farm, where he stood his first season in 2014 for a $20,000 fee. He also shuttled to Brazil in 2014 and 2015 for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.
Shanghai Bobby, who is out of the Orientate mare Steelin’, ended his time on track with an 8-6-1-0 mark and $1,857,000 in career earnings. He still stands at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky, and his 2017 fee was $25,000, stands and nurses.