Hometown hero and Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar handily defeated last year’s champion 3-year-old male, Sierra Leone , in the March 22 $480,000 New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Sierra Leone, making his seasonal debut in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race, finished third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by the winner. Hall of Fame , the second choice in the five-horse field, finished second after tracking the pace set by the 2 1/2-length winner.
The 6-1 Touchuponastar, ridden by his regular partner, Tim Thornton, returned $15 for a $2 win wager.
Touchuponastar, a 6-year-old son of Star Guitar , is owned by former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme, and runs in the colors of his Set-Hut. The gelding is trained by Delhomme’s brother, Jeff.
After finishing second in last year’s running of the New Orleans Classic to Red Route One , Touchuponastar used his speed successfully in this year’s edition. Away cleanly from the gate, the bay controlled the pace through non-taxing fractions of :24.00, :47.40, 1:10.78, and 1:35.35, en route to a final time of 1:48.10 over a fast track.
“When we got away clean, you know he always does his job,” Thornton said. “When I was able to make the lead on my own … having him prick his ears, I knew I was ready. At the three-eighths pole, I felt a little bit of pressure (from Hall of Fame). I had to reach and take a hold of him again. He was absolutely loaded today.”
The Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone, making his first appearance since winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in November at Del Mar, trailed the field early, which wasn’t unexpected since his style is to come from off the pace. But when Flavien Prat asked for acceleration from the Gun Runner colt going into the final turn, Sierra Leone had a tepid response. At the quarter pole, he was in between horses and had made up ground, but still had too much to do to collar the leaders, though he was well clear of San Siro and Komorebino Omoide , the fourth- and fifth-place finishers.
“He never got into a rhythm,” Prat said. “He was struggling to keep up the pace. He made a run late but those horses were all running away.”
Bred by Coteau Grove Farms out of the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic, Touchuponastar ran his record to 15-4-2 in 21 starts and elevated his career earnings to $1,412,900.
The Delhommes took a shot in the New Orleans Classic; they could have just as easily run in the $100,000 Star Guitar Stakes March 23 at Fair Grounds as Touchuponastar was entered in that state-bred race and listed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite.
“It was a tough decision,” Jake Delhomme admitted. “I’m looking forward to sleeping tonight and tomorrow because all week long you wanted to make the right decision, and not for your ego, you want to make it for the horse. He was doing so well. (Thornton) said to us after working him a few weeks back, ‘I don’t think he’s ever been doing this good.'”
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