A Shin Forward relocating to New York from Japan

A Shin Forward, a Group 1 winner and sire in Japan, will relocate to Rockridge Stud in Hudson, N.Y., for the 2018 breeding season and will stand for a private fee as property of the horse’s breeder, Vivien Malloy’s Edition Farm.

The 13-year-old Forest Wildcat horse began his stud career at Lex Stud in Hokkaido in Japan. He has sired three crops of racing age, with 11 winners and progeny earnings of $501,048. His most successful runner is Center Forward, a winner in four of his 17 career starts.

A Shin Forward was bred in New York by Edition Farm and sold to Japanese owner Hirotsugu Hirai for $290,000 at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale of select 2-year-olds in training. He raced five seasons in Japan and Hong Kong for the Hirai family’s Eishindo Co. Ltd., winning six of 31 starts for earnings of $3,416,216. He ranks behind only champion Funny Cide on the list of the highest-earning New York-breds in history.

The horse won the Group 1 Mile Championship, Group 3 Hankyu Hai at about seven furlongs, and non-graded Final Stakes at roughly a mile. His five group stakes placings include a third in the Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen, racing about six furlongs.

A Shin Forward is out of the stakes-winning Cure the Blues mare Wake Up Kiss, whose five foals to race are all winners, including stakes winner Wake Up In Malibu. The extended family includes Grade 2-placed Good Morning Smile and stakes winners No Mecourtney and Get Jets.

“We are so pleased to have A Shin Forward back,” Malloy said. “He is the best horse Edition has bred and competed at the highest international levels. He gives New York breeders access to the Storm Cat line, and he hails from Fappiano’s family. We will send several nice mares to him.”