It has taken Ocean Grand until his third attempt to win a Highway Handicap and now that he's ticked that box, trainer Cliff Bashford will raise the bar.

The weekly metropolitan race for country-trained horses has proved popular and Bashford was relieved to see Ocean Grand win Saturday's 1200m edition at Rosehill.

Ridden by apprentice Koby Jennings whose claim reduced his weight to 57.5kg, Ocean Grand ($8.50) beat the favourite Clearly Innocent ($2) by a long neck with Admission ($81) another half neck third.

Bashford will take Ocean Grand back to Taree to get him ready for the local qualifying heat of the Country Championships.

"I'll give him a little breather now to get ready for the Taree heat of the series of the Country Championships," Bashford said.

The $400,000 Country Championships final is at Randwick in April and after that's out of the way, Bashford believes there will be plenty more in store for Ocean Grand.

"I think he's going to be a really good horse," he said.

"He's got a great temperament and handled the float trip down here in the heat with no problems.

"These Highway races are good for the owners, especially me because I own him.

"I couldn't sell him but funnily all the ones I've been forced to keep have been good.

"He's by Duporth and I really like the breed. I've got about four of them and this one is going pretty well.

"They all had a chance to beat him today and they couldn't so it's a pretty good win."