Touchuponastar’s primary objective for the remainder of the year is the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Dec. 13 at Fair Grounds, according to his owner, Jake Delhomme. The Grade 2 winner has won the race the last three years.
Touchuponastar remains in peak form for trainer Jeff Delhomme, and last weekend opened the Delta Downs meet with a track-record performance in the $100,000 Gold Cup.
Touchuponastar won the seven-furlong race run around two turns in 1:24.27, lowering the mark of 1:24.31 set by No It’s Not on Jan. 24, 2003. For the effort, Touchuponstar earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 103.
“I’m very proud of him,” Jake Delhomme said Monday. “And he came back great. He looked like a million dollars this morning.
:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports
“We would think, if all goes well, and no hiccups, we could get a race before Champions Day.”
Jake Delhomme said options include the $100,000 Delta Mile on Nov. 8 or the $100,000 Jacob Morreale Memorial for Louisiana-breds at a mile and 70 yards on Nov. 22 at Fair Grounds.
“We’re going to look at a few things, and certainly let him tell us where,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll get him healthy and happy to Champions Day. We’ll see how we get there, whether we do the Delta Mile or the race right at the beginning of the meet at Fair Grounds.”
Touchuponastar is racing up the all-time earnings list among Louisiana-breds. He’s fourth behind leader Free Like a Girl, according to a chart posted by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.
Free Like a Girl has earned $2.5 million, and Touchuponastar is at $1.5 million. His sire, Star Guitar, is second on the list with $1.7 million, and he’s followed by the late Happy Ticket at $1.6 million.
As for Touchuponastar’s track record, Jake Delhomme noted the horse long has been fond of the seven-furlong configuration at Delta.
“He’s run that distance at Delta three times, ran in an allowance race before he ever won a stakes and he won very easy that night and he was very close to the track record then,” Delhomme recalled of an October 2022 win in 1:24.60.
The next out, Touchuponastar captured his first Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds.
Delhomme noted in his other seven-furlong race at Delta, the Gold Cup in 2023, he won in 1:24.64.
“That distance, it seems like he enjoys it at Delta,” he said. “I think he really likes it at Delta.”
Delhomme would have liked to have been at the Gold Cup in person last weekend, but had a notable schedule conflict. The fall season is also still football season for the retired NFL quarterback who now lives in Louisiana.
“I do the radio for the Carolina Panthers, the majority of the games, 12 of 17 games,” he said of the NFL franchise for which he played. “When the schedule comes out in April or May, the stakes schedule wasn’t out yet. So, it’s just one of those deals. With technology, I was able to watch it.”
Delhomme’s fall schedule also includes yearling sales. He purchased a pair of colts at the Breeders Sales of Louisiana last Sunday, one by Cupid and one by Audible. During the recent Texas summer yearling sale, he bought a pair of colts by Jimmy Creed.
“All four are Louisiana-breds,” Delhomme said. “I like to support our Louisiana program. That’s what we love.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.