Highway Star saved ground along the inside rail through the early stages of the race before rallying in the stretch to win the G3 Distaff Handicap by a half-length at Aqueduct April 9.
The four-year-old daughter of Girolamo got the better of Indulgent (a half-sister by Bernardini to Multiple G1 Stakes Winner and Darley sire, Frosted) to provide a Darley-sired exacta in the seven-furlong contest for older fillies and mares. The Distaff Handicap was the second Graded Stakes win of Highway Star’s career. The talented New York-bred captured the G3 Go For Wand Stakes over the same course last December.
Racing as a homebred for Chester and Mary Broman Sr., Highway Star is out of Stolen Star, a multiple Stakes-placed daughter of Cat Thief. Stolen Star is out of the Stakes-placed mare Unbridled Star, and is a half-sister to the multiple Stakes-winners Friend Or Foe and Star Grazing.
Girolamo has sired 53 winners to date, including Stakes winner and G1-placed She’s All Ready, Stakes winners Louisville First and Libreta, and Stakes-placed runners Pagan, Backwood Bay, and Lucky Lurie.
Girolamo is standing at Jonabell Farm for $10,000, stands and nurses.
