Reunion time in the Statue of Liberty Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » On June 24, eleven 3-year-old New Yorkbred fillies met in the New York Stallion Series Stakes (Cupecoy’s Joy Division) at Belmont Park, going seven furlongs on the turf.
Today, at Saratoga Race Course, the first four finishers from that race – all of whom finished within two lengths of each other – meet again in the NYSS Stakes (Statue of Liberty Division) going a mile on the Inner Turf.
Kreesie, a half-length winner of the Cupecoy’s Joy, is the second choice on the morning line (3-1) for today’s race. The daughter of Cosmonaut is coming off a fifth as the 7-5 favorite in a statebred second-level allowance at six furlongs. She stretches out another quarter-mile for the Statue of Liberty in her first try beyond seven furlongs.
Goodbye Brockley, runner-up in the Cupecoy’s Joy, is today’s 5-2 favorite. Another daughter of Cosmonaut, she’s been off the board only once in a half-dozen starts. Although she has never raced at a mile, she has been 1 1/16 miles twice, winning an opening-level allowance at that distance.
Byself (7-2) is making her first stakes start after breaking her maiden at first asking and winning her first outing against winners. This is also her first start on turf. The Noble Causeway filly exits a close second in a seven-furlong Belmont allowance in the slop.
Mentality (4-1), third in the Cupcoy’s Joy, has run in three stakes versus open company, with her best finish a closeup fourth in the Mizdirection Stakes at Aqueduct back in April. In two tries at 1 1/16 miles, she faded late after setting the pace much of the way.
Wegetsdamunnys’s (8-1) fourth in the Cupcoy’s Joy was her first start on turf. She enters the Statue of Liberty off a sixth in the New York Oaks at Finger Lakes, which is contested on dirt.
Crashing Connie (12-1) won her first four starts of 2018 before finishing second in the New York Oaks. All seven of her races have been at Finger Lakes.
Miss Jen (15-1), Codrington (151), Barrel of Destiny (30-1) and Starlite (20-1) make up the rest of the State of Liberty field. Aunt Babe (12-1) and My Roxy Girl (61) are MTO entrants.