New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Fair Grounds commences its road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday with the 71st running of the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. Eleven newly turned 3-year-olds have entered for the mile, 70 yard stakes with a post time of 6:24 p.m. ET. Team Valors Savoy Stomp makes his first start of the year and will break from post 6 with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith riding the colt for the first time. You certainly try this time of year to get on good young horses - especially Kentucky Derby horses, said Smith. Todd (Pletcher) is definitely one you want to ride for. Trainer Todd Pletcher conditions the 3-year-old who will be making his fourth career start. Savoy Stomp won his debut race in September at Belmont Park but was fifth in the mud in Aqueducts Nashua Stakes in November. He didnt like the wet dirt (in the Nashua); (the kickback) stung him and he ran horribly, Team Valors Barry Irwin explained. Then in his (Dec. 17) 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 favored in the Gulfstream Park allowance in December but finished third to Bluegrass Singer, winner of this months Mucho Macho Man Stakes. Pletcher has always liked the horse, Irwin said. The question with him is what his best trip is. I always thought he wanted to run longer and Pletcher is hopeful he will, but (Pletcher) told me that if he turned out to be a late-running sprinter, he wouldnt be surprised. You never know which way theyre going to go. Its a matter of timing and what their progression is. Leaving from the far outside post will be Eagle with Brian Hernandez Jr. in the saddle. The chestnut colt is owned by William S. Farish and trained by Neil Howard. Eagle, a half-brother to Shared Belief, has two wins, a second and a third from four starts. He was third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes behind El Kabeir at Churchill Downs in November. The colt has banked $81,602. Mike Makers stakes winning colt International Star has drawn the inside post with Miguel Mena riding. Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, International Star won the Grey Stakes at Woodbine last October and earlier recorded seconds in Belmonts Rockville Center Stakes and Saratogas With Anticipation on the turf. International Star was ninth, just 3 1/4 lengths off the winner, in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 31. The colt has earned $200,979 from six starts. The Ramseys and Maker combined to win last years Lecomte with Vicars in Trouble. Here is the field for the Lecomte in post position order: International Star, Miguel Mena; Tiznow R J, Robby Albarado; Four Leaf Chief, Florent Geroux; War Story, James Graham; Hero of Humor, Alexander Reznikov; Savoy Stomp, Mike Smith; Runhappy, Shaun Bridgmohan, Killingit, Jamie Theriot; Dekabrist, Sal Gonzalez Jr.; Another Lemon Drop, Calvin Borel and Eagle, Brian Hernandez Jr. Korbinian Holzer Jersey . -- Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson couldnt hear himself amid the roar in Koch Arena, so he kept stomping on the floor in a fruitless attempt to get his teams attention. Todd Ewen Jersey .5 million. The 25-year-old Varlamov is thriving under first-year coach and Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, posting a 26-9-5 record with a 2. https://www.cheapducks.com/1127c-jakob-s...rsey-ducks.html. Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. Lubomir Visnovsky Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Andy McDonald Jersey . -- Patrick Kueng of Switzerland was nearly flawless as he captured his first World Cup and halted Aksel Lund Svindals streak of four straight super-G victories on Saturday.Some will continue to argue the womens hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics remains a two-team race between Canada and the United States. That may indeed be the case, but Finland threw a mighty scare into Team Canada on Monday. The Finns matched Canadas speed and were the more aggressive team through the first two periods, but Canadas offence took control in the third period scoring three goals, blanking Finland 3-0. Canada outshot Finland 27-10 through 40 minutes, but couldnt beat goaltender Noora Raty. Meghan Agosta-Marciano finally gave Canada a 1-0 lead on its fourth power pay of the game when she drilled a slap shot to the top corner at 9:27 of the third period. That was followed by a goal by anothher veteran, Jayna Hefford, who deked two Finnish defenders and then fired a high shot from in tight.dddddddddddd Late in the third Rebecca Johnston scored her second goal of the 2014 Olympics, converting a three-on-one. Finland has finished third or fourth at every Olympics and World Championship tournament since it began international play, so the Canadians knew they were in for a tough game. "They just never give up," said Canadian forward Brianne Jenner. "They are a hard-working team and they clog the middle of the ice. We knew that coming in so our game plan was to not be impatient and stick with what we wanted to do and it turned out that it worked in the third period." ' ' '
