LEA’s Grade 3 winning son Nagirroc added a second career stakes victory to his record on Saturday in the Listed James W. Murphy Stakes going a mile on the Pimlico turf.
Breaking from the farthest gate, the Graham Motion trainee broke sharply before taking back and maneuvering to the rail going into the first turn. The even-money favorite took up a place in third down the stretch before making his move with under a quarter left. In only a few strides, Nagirroc was in front and motored away with no other horse in the field able to catch him.
Only given a few taps before Flavien Prat put the stick away, Nagirroc won by an easy 3 ¼ lengths to take his record to three wins and four other top three finishes in seven starts.
The winner of last year’s Futurity Stakes (G3), Nagirroc also finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Keeneland last November and races for Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and William Strauss.
The colt was one of two impressive winners from LEA’s three-year-old crop yesterday with T O Granville breaking his maiden by three lengths at Niigata in Japan to start the day.
Bred by Chervenell Thoroughbreds, Nagirroc is one of two stakes performers out of Emma Spencer alongside De Guiza. Emma Spencer is a half-sister to the Grade 1 placed duo of Mythical and Johann Strauss and Grade 3 placed In Charge Of Me. This family also includes Canadian champion Miss Keller, Spanish champion Media Storm, and European champion and classic winner Harbour Law among many others.
LEA is the sire of 10 stakes winners and 13 stakes performers overall with one Grade 1 fourth place finisher as well from his 178 starters.