Kisses for Emily #5 (L) breaks her maiden over Starship Laoban #10 in the $100,000 Society Hill at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA on March 8, 2022. The New York-Bred daughter of Union Jackson was ridden to victory by Dylan Davis and is trained by Louis Linder, Jr., for owners Branjam Stable and Dave Clark. Photo by Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO.
By Tom Law
Kisses for Emily kept the New York-bred program rolling Tuesday with a maiden-winning score in the $100,000 Society Hill at Parx Racing.
The 3-year-old daughter Union Jackson, New York’s leading freshman sire in 2021, led a 1-2 finish for New York-breds in the 6-furlong stakes with a 1-length victory over the Laoban filly Starship Laoban. Sent off as the 5-1 fourth choice in the field of five under Dylan Davis, Kisses for Emily overcame a bump early and found her best footing late to win in 1:13.29.
Kisses for Emily, bred by Sequel Stallions NY LLC and Lewis Lakin and owned by Bran Jam Stable and David Clark, also gave Union Jackson his first stakes winner in the Society Hill. Union Jackson, a 10-year-old son of Curlin out of the Dixie Union mare Hot Dixie Chick, stands for $2,5000 at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson. Kisses for Emily was foaled at Sequel Stallions NY in Hudson.
Kisses for Emily’s victory is the fifth open-company stakes victory for a New York-bred in a four-day span, following Coinage in Palm Beach and Spandarella in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride at Gulfstream Park Saturday, Venti Valentine in the $250,000 Busher Invitational at Aqueduct Saturday and Bank Sting in the Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct Sunday.
Consigned by Sequel Bloodstock as Hip 367 and sold to Mike Mellen for $125,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training, Kisses for Emily came into the Society Hill winless in her first five starts.
She raced three times at 2, finishing third in her final start of 2021 in a 7-furlong New York-bred maiden for trainer John Toscano Jr. Transferred to trainer Louis Linder Jr., Kisses for Emily finished second and third in 6-furlong state-bred maiden races in January and February prior to her stakes debut.
Kisses for Emily was bumped early and 10 lengths back as Disco Ebo and Starship Laoban vied for the early leading through the opening quarter-mile in :22.17. Kisses for Emily continued to lag 8 lengths behind as Starship Laoban wrested a narrow lead from Disco Ebo through the half in :45.76. Davis tipped Kisses for Emily out in the lane and she surged past her fellow New York-bred in deep stretch for the victory. Starship Laoban, an 11 1/2-length winner of an open optional-allowance Feb. 16 at Parx, finished 4 ½ lengths ahead of 9-1o favorite Disco Ebo with Perfect Direction fourth and Martini’s America fifth.
Kisses for Emily picked up $60,000 for her victory in the Society Hill and boosted her earnings to $94,100.
Kisses for Emily is the third foal out of the unraced Malibu Moon mare Caldwell, a half-sister to the dam of multiple graded stakes winner and sire Rockport Harbor. Caldwell’s first foal, the Kentucky-bred Danza gelding Hail to the Chief, is 2-0-4 in 12 starts for $75,479 in earnings. Her second foal, the Jimmy Creed colt Sultan Murad, sold for $14,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Caldwell is also the dam of the 2-year-old New York-bred Unified filly Queenpin, who sold for $225,000 to Flying P Stable at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale; and a yearling colt by World of Trouble.
