NEWS: BREEDING

Edition Farm’s Wake Up Kiss, dam of A Shin Forward, euthanized at 19

Tuesday, February 28th, 2017

By Sarah Mace

Vivien Malloy, owner of Edition Farm in Hyde Park, has announced that her cherished broodmare Wake Up Kiss has been euthanized at age 19.

Wake Up Kiss, a two-time stakes winner by Cure the Blues, produced five winners from five starters, led by A Shin Forward, a Grade 1 winner in Japan who is second on the all-time New York-bred earnings list.

Malloy, who called the mare “a New York love story for sure,” was bred in the Empire State by John Hettinger. Purchased in 1999 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer yearling by Equix Biomechanics and trained by H. James Bond, Wake Up Kiss won five of 10 career starts for owners Rudlein Stable and William L. Clifton, Jr. Her first stakes win came at three in the Perfect Arc division of the New York Stallion Series going a mile on turf and, in her final career start at five, she captured the Yaddo Handicap at Saratoga by open lengths. In 2003 Wake Up Kiss was voted New York-bred Champion Turf Female

Edition Farm purchased Wake Up Kiss in foal to Forest Wildcat for $380,000 at the 2004 Keeneland November Sale. The resulting foal, A Shin Forward, sold as a Fasig-Tipton New York Select yearling in 2006 for $125,000 before being purchased by Hirotsugo Hirai the following March at the Fasig-Tipton Florida sale for $290,000 and going on to become a star in Japan.

In 2010 at five, A Shin Forward finished second in the New Year Stakes at Nakayama, third in the Grade 3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai and won the Grade 3 Hankyu Hai at Hanshin. He then went on to his greatest triumph: a victory in the Grade 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto, where he crossed the wire in stakes record time under Yasunari Iwata at odds of 52-to-1. That year he also ran third by a neck in the Grade 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo.

A Shin Forward retired sound to stand 2012 breeding season at Lex Stud in Hokkaido. He bankrolled $3,421,360 (USD) and sits in second place on the all-time New York-bred earnings list, just $100,000 and change shy of top New York-earner, Grade 1 Kentucky Derby hero Funny Cide ($3,529,412).

Wake Up Kiss also numbers among her five winning offspring stakes winner Wake Up in Malibu, by Malibu Moon, and Red Groover, by Any Given Saturday. Red Groover also emigrated to Japan, became an allowance winner, and won twice over fences, including in his last career start on January 17, 2015.

Malloy has kept up with all of Wake Up Kiss’ progeny. Of Red Groover she said, “He died a short while ago and his groom sent a picture of himself in the stall, in the straw with Red Groover. It was endearing as you can imagine.” Wake Up Kiss’ last foal is an unnamed colt by Scat Daddy foaled on March 26, 2016.

Wake Up Kiss was euthanized at her home farm, where she was buried on February 27. Malloy, who hopes to sponsor a turf race for New York-bred fillies in her mare’s name, said, “Wake Up Kiss was stoic and classy to the end of her life.”

Malloy added, “She meant the world to me. She was my favorite always and I hope she knew it. She was beautiful. Ask anyone.”

 

 

2 Responses to “Edition Farm’s Wake Up Kiss, dam of A Shin Forward, euthanized at 19”

  1. Bob H says:

    VERY SORRY for your loss Vivien. She will live on through her offspring.
    A race named after her would be a fantastic memorial for her.

  2. Theresa M says:

    She was a classy foundation mare…and magical to look at…you never tired of looking at her.

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