Highland Grace is bred for distance of Jockey Club Oaks

Thoroughbred owner and breeder Bonner Young is hopeful that dual winner Highland Grace can add more prosperity to a highly productive family line in the Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational going 1 3/8 miles, Saturday’s feature at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Highland Grace started out 0-for-4 through the maiden ranks before stretching out to the Jockey Club Oaks distance June 3 over Belmont Park’s inner turf to graduate at fifth asking. The sophomore daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah doubled up by defeating winners going 1 1/4 miles July 4 over yielding Belmont inner turf under Flavien Prat, who made the ride his fifth winner that day.

Highland Grace, a fifth generation homebred, is out of Young’s graded-stakes winner Caroline Thomas, who was elevated to first in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga in 2013 before finishing a close third in that year’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland. Highland Grace’s granddam is three-time graded-stakes winner Bit of Whimsy, whose sophomore season in 2007 saw triumphs in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup as well as the Sands Point (G3) at Belmont Park and the Mrs. Revere (G2) at Churchill Downs. Her third dam is Kristi B, who also produced graded-stakes placed and black-type producer Kristi With a K.

“I have had this family for 43 years, and Barclay has trained everything on the page at one point in time,” Young said. “She is a big filly like Bit of Whimsy was. She doesn’t have Bit of Whimsy’s disposition. She’s more like Caroline Thomas in that. She’s laid back like American Pharoah was. He was kind and gentle around people, and that’s how she is.”

Although Highland Grace won over yielding going last out, Young said she is hopeful for firm turf Saturday, when the National Weather Service forecast a partly sunny, windy afternoon.

“She’s got a kick if it’s a hard turf,” Young said. “In the last race she was struggling on the rail, and Flavien (Prat) got her out into the middle of the course, that’s when she took off.”

Highland Grace has a younger sibling who made her debut over the Saratoga inner turf in July to finish fifth going 1 1/16 miles.

“Her baby sister Katherine Thomas,” Young said, “is actually more like Bit of Whimsy. She’s a 2-year-old, and I’m hoping she runs at the end of this month. We’re aiming for that with her.”

Young owns two active broodmares. They are Caroline Thomas and stakes-winner Highland Glory, a daughter of Young’s now-retired broodmare Kristi With a K. Young boards her mares at Hinkle Farm in Paris, Kentucky.

Caroline Thomas is in foal to second-crop sire Bolt d’Oro, and Highland Glory is in foal to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.

“I’m trying to breed a turf champion for Barclay. I’ve been trying forever,” Young said. “We’ve had some really nice horses out of this family. I’m lucky because they’re born and raised at Tom Hinkle’s Farm. I bought my first horse from him in 1980, and I’ve been part of the Hinkle family ever since. He’s a wonderful horseman, and they do a fabulous job at his farm.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount aboard Highland Grace, who will break from post 5 at 5-1 morning-line odds.