Shanghai Bobby gets first winner

Spirit of Shanghai became the first winner for juvenile champion Shanghai Bobby, a well-regarded member of a strong group of freshman sires, when she won a maiden-claiming race Sunday at Santa Anita.

Shanghai Bobby, standing at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky, put together a stellar juvenile campaign in 2012, going unbeaten at distances from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and winning three graded stakes – capped by the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile – to earn a divisional Eclipse Award.

He was received extremely well with his first crop of yearlings to come to the sales ring in 2016. All six of his yearlings through the ring at last summer’s select Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale fetched six-figure prices, led by a $380,000 filly selected by prominent bloodstock agents Alex Solis II and Jason Litt.

Shanghai Bobby then recorded an average price of $113,105 from 38 yearlings sold at the bellwether Keeneland September yearling sale, including a $575,000 colt sold to Mayberry Farm and a $400,000 colt sold to Breeze Easy LLC.

Shanghai Bobby is by the late Harlan’s Holiday, a productive sire of sires. His standout sons include Into Mischief, last year’s leading juvenile sire, and Majesticperfection, the sire of Kentucky Oaks winner Lovely Maria.