Holy Bull And LeComte Kick-Off Triple Crown Season

The Lecomte Stakes at Fairgrounds in New Orleans and Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida, are a little like pre-season football. On the downside, not many on the first team are playing and the results will have little effect on the Super Bowl. But it's the best place to look for new talent and everybody's just happy the season has started.

Saturday, the Lecompte and Holy Bull unofficially kick-off the road to the Triple Crown. It is unlikely that either will give us any more clear indication as to who will win the Kentucky Derby three months from now, but it's a good place to start looking for the less obvious talent.

The favorites in the $100,000 Lecomte include Turf Melody, a winner of the Springboard Stakes at Remington Park in his last race; and Maximus Ruler, undefeated in two career starts but making his stakes debut in the Lecomte.

The $150,000 Holy Bull will feature Jackson Bend, who was among the top local 2-year-olds last year in Florida, but steps into graded stakes company for the first time in the Holy Bull. Grade 1 credentials come from Homeboykris, winner of the Champagne Stakes in New York last year. A victory in the Champagne is usually significant, but a poor looking fifth next start in the Remson raised some questions about our boy-ee.

Even if nobody from the Holy Bull or Lecomte makes it into the Kentucky Derby starting gate, they still present a benchmark for us to compare when the more recognizable contenders such as Lookin' at Lucky, Tiz Chrome and Dublin come back to the races in the weeks and months to come. Both of these races are designed to help horsemen prepare for the $750,000 Louisiana Derby at Fairgrounds and the $750,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream. They can be just as much help for handicappers and fans.

It is important to also keep in mind while glancing at these less than accomplished past performances, perhaps it not wise to scoff to early.

In his rookie year, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had one completion in three attempts for six yards as a 6th round draft choice. He returned for his second season to win the Super Bowl.