Goodbye Brockley game in Statue of Liberty win

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Phil Serpe readily remembers the last time he won a stakes photo as tight as the photo he won Thursday at Saratoga with Goodbye Brockley, who had just squeezed out a nose decision over Wegetsdamunnys in the $100,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Series.

“When we won the Commentator with Weekend Hideaway against Diversify last year we won by about a billionth of an inch and I got so excited I jumped off the two steps at Belmont, tore the meniscus in my knee, and had to have surgery,” Serpe recalled in the winner’s circle after the race.

Thankfully there were no such injuries to report following Goodbye Brockley’s much-deserved victory and Wegetsdamunnys heartbreaking setback in the one-mile Statue of Liberty.

With Luis Saez aboard, Goodbye Brockley eased outside to stalk the early leaders three wide upon entering the backstretch, lost a bit of ground while wide into the stretch, forged to command between calls at midstretch, then had her nose down at the right time on the wire to earn her first stakes victory. Wegetsdamunnys raced near the rear of the compact field but while always within easy striking distance, surged down the middle of the course at the end, and just missed. Kreesie surged late to be third, 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Goodbye Brockley, a 3-year-old homebred daughter of Cosmonaut owned by Hilly Fields Stable, completed the distance in 1:39.25 over a yielding course and paid $5.60.

“At first, when I was watching the race, I actually thought she won,” said Serpe. “Then you start watching all those slow motion things and it makes you crazy. Did we? Didn’t we? Did we? Didn’t we? But I didn’t stand on the steps today. She’s a nice filly, and obviously the two turns helps her. She may have been struggling with the soft turf, I think she likes to hear her feet rattle a little bit. But a win is a win, and my hat's off to the horse who ran second.”