Cool Bobby knocked off Derby trail by ankle injury

ARCADIA, Calif. – Cool Bobby, one of the top Kentucky Derby prospects on the West Coast, is off the Derby trail after undergoing surgery for a chip in his left front ankle, trainer Peter Eurton said Sunday at Santa Anita.

Cool Bobby would have been one of the top contenders in the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes on Jan. 6. But two days after his most recent workout, at Santa Anita on Dec. 15, "he had a little heat," Eurton said.

"We took a picture – bingo," Eurton said.

Eurton said Cool Bobby would need 60 days of downtime and at the earliest would not return to action until May. He said the injury was less serious than one sustained early in 2017 by his champion filly Champagne Room, who has returned to action.

"They can come back good. You just have to give it time," Eurton said.

Cool Bobby, by Shanghai Bobby, was second in his debut at Santa Anita on Oct. 9 before beating maidens at Del Mar on Nov. 11 in his second start. One of the horses he beat in that race, fifth-place finisher Kanthaka, came back to beat maidens in his next start at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

Cool Bobby was purchased as a yearling for $575,000. He is owned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable.