Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Highland Sky made the most of his first start on the main track in nearly two years in the $100,000 John’s Call S. Wednesday at Saratoga, as turf marathon specialist came away with a 8 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/4-mile off-the-turf event.

After rains forced the race to the main track, the 6-year-old son of Sky Mesa made the most of the sloppy going, cruising along comfortably in third for the first mile, then despite being forced very wide, swept past the front-runners and easily pulled clear to win geared down.

“The horse was taking me the whole way around and was going really well,” said jockey Manuel Franco. “I was so happy when we passed the five-eighths pole. He was dragging me. I knew I had a lot of horse underneath me.” 

Highland Sky has won or placed in six stakes in his career, racking up $724,494 in earnings for Joyce Young, and Gerald & Jerrie McManis. 

Pedigree notes from the TDN

Highland Sky hails from the family of Young and McManis’s Grade I stakes victress Bit of Whimsy (Distorted Humor) and Young’s Grade II winner Caroline Thomas (Giant’s Causeway). Like Highland Sky, both mares were trained by Barclay Tagg. Highland Sky’s unraced juvenile full sister Highland Glory is currently in training at Saratoga.