Shanghai Bobby gets rest after Florida Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Champion colt Shanghai Bobby has been taken off the Kentucky Derby trail after finishing off the board in last Saturday's Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Shanghai Bobby, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, finished fifth in the Florida Derby behind Orb. It was the colt's second start of the year and first since finishing second in the Holy Bull Stakes.

"There's nothing obviously wrong with him," trainer Todd Pletcher said in a statement on the Starlight Racing website, "but we will go over him thoroughly and give him some time off to fully recover from his long campaign. He'll be sent to Payton Training Center today and allowed to have the down time that he seems to need right now."

The colt was perfect in five starts as a 2-year-old and was voted the Eclipse Award as 2012 champion male. In seven starts he has five wins for $1.8 million.

"Shanghai Bobby has been at the track for 13 months and his energy level and level of performance has never suggested he needed any time off until now," said Starlight Racing's Jack Wolf. "It's time to freshen him up and, if all goes well, point for a late summer, early fall campaign."