2022 Kentucky Derby trail: Lecomte odds, picks, free PPs

The Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby resumes Saturday in New Orleans. Pappacap is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. Epicenter won the first leg of Fair Grounds’ Derby prep series. Steve Asmussen has won LECOMte three times, including in 2021 with Midnight Bourbon. Al Stall Jr. trains Trafalgar, who enters off back-to-back wins.

8. Call Me Midnight (Keith Desormeaux, James Graham) is 20-1.

9.9 Presidential (Steve Asmussen, Brian Hernandez Jr.), 20-1. TimeformUS’ pace projections forecast a pace duel between Surfer Dude under jockey Reylu Gutierrez and Cyberknife with rider Florent Geroux. Favorite Pappacap is projected to track the early pace from mid-pack.

Laurie Ross and Ashley Tamulonis go head-to-head handicapping the Lecomte Stakes. Ron Flatter shows that Fair Grounds has not been a productive circuit for producing Kentucky Derby winners. Reinier Macatangay picks a speed horse. Matt Shifman and Brian Zipse preview the big races on Saturday’s Fair grounds: the Louisiana, and the Silverbulletday.

The Lecomte Stakes is taking place at Fair Grounds on Saturday. The race will be broadcast on TVG.

Just Might (8-5) looks for a third straight Fair Grounds stakes score after winning the Thanksgiving Classic and the Richard R. Scherer Memorial. Michelle Lovell trains the 6-year-old Justin Phillip gelding, who will have jockey Colby Hernandez up on Saturday. Norman Cash trains Sir Alfred James (5-1), who won the Holiday Cheer Stakes on New Year's Day over the synthetic track at Turfway Park.

Abscond is a Grade 1 winner but hasn't won since Woodbine's Natalma Stakes in September 2019. Eddie Kenneally trains and Adam Beschizza rides Blame mare, who was fourth at Del Mar in the Goldikova Stake (G2) on the Breeders’ Cup Classic undercard. Summer in Saratoga is 7-2, having won the local Blushing K.D. Stages on Dec. 26. Paul McGee trains Pass the Plate (6-1).

La Crete is favored for trainer Steve Asmussen in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes. Jockey Joel Rosario will ride Medaglia d’Oro, a debut winner Nov. 20 at Churchill. Todd Pletcher trains Sweet as Pie, who finishes 5-2 in her first start since finishing 5th at Belmont Park in Tempted Stake.

$100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes, 4-and-up, 1 1/16 miles (turf). Two Emmys (3-1) makes his first start of the season. Hugh Robertson trains the English Channel gelding. Jeremiah Englehart trains Bodecream (8-2).

Mandaloun (1-1) returns for his first start since winning the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 17. Florent Geroux stays aboard the Into Mischief colt for trainer Brad Cox. Midnight Bourbon (6-5) faced older runners for the first time Nov. 26 at Churchill in the Clark Stake (G1). Tom Drury Jr. trains Sprawl (10-2), a Grade 3 winner who was sixth in Churchill’s Lukas Classic Stages ( G3).