Savoy Stomp Looks to Make Grade in Lecomte

Team Valor International and Southern Equine Stable's Savoy Stomp (Medaglia d'Oro), the top-priced colt at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, will look to get his sophomore campaign off to a good start in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds. The $875,000 yearling debuted a winner over seven furlongs at Belmont last September before running fifth behind Blofeld (Quality Road) in the one-mile GII Nashua S. Nov. 2. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a third-place finish as the 7-5 favorite in a Dec. 17 optional claimer at Gulfstream Park. The winner that day, Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat), came back to win the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream last week. 

“He's an extremely good-looking horse,” said Team Valor's Barry Irwin. “He's out of a mare who is from a sprint family and when I bought him I was worried he wouldn't run that far, but since we put him in training he has more stamina than speed, which is good. He won first time out and, when they win like that going seven furlongs on the rail, they're going to go two turns.” 

Of the colt's previous outings, Irwin noted, “He didn't like the wet dirt [in the Nashua]; [the kickback] stung him and he ran horribly. Then in his [third] race, the rail was golden and he could have stayed there, but [jockey Javier Castellano] was so worried about the kickback that he stayed outside. On a normal track like Fair Grounds going two turns, he should do well.” 

Savoy Stomp was bred by Mike Moreno's Southern Equine and he is out of stakes winner Crystal Current, a daughter of GISW Dream Supreme (Seeking the Gold). Dream Supreme is the dam of Grade I winner Majestic Warrior (A.P. Indy). Southern Equine was reluctant to part with the colt at the Saratoga sale. 

“When I bought the horse at the sale, Southern Equine told me they wanted to stay in, and I said that was fine,” Irwin explained.