Veteran jockey Tim Thornton’s upset win in the Gr. II New Orleans Classic aboard Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar on Saturday was memorable in more ways than one. It was Thornton’s first career Gr. II win and first graded stakes win since 2011 when he won the Gr. III Stars and Stripes at Arlington Park. Additionally, the win was over a field that included Sierra Leone making his first start since winning the Gr. I Breeders’ Cup Classic. The panel of racing experts voted Thornton Jockey of the Week for March 17 through March 23.
The weekly honor recognizes jockeys for significant riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
Thornton has been aboard the Louisiana Horse of the Year Touchuponastar in all but one of the 6-year-old gelding’s 21 lifetime starts for trainer Jeff Delhomme and his owner former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme who races as Set-Hut LLC.
Breaking from post position three in the scratched down field of five, Touchuponastar was sent immediately to the lead by Thornton and made every pole a winning one to take the race by two and one-half lengths in 1:48.10 for the mile and one-eighth contest on the main track. Hall of Fame with Jose Ortiz was second and Eclipse Award Three-Year-Old Champion Sierra Leone with Flavien Prat aboard crossed the finish line in third. Fan favorite Touchuponastar returned $15.00, $5.60 and $2.60. The victory provided his trainer with his first career graded stakes win.
“He always does his job,” said Thornton to Fair Grounds publicity. “Making the lead alone, having him prick his ears, I knew we were ready to win this. At the 3/8ths pole I took a little pressure but he was there for me. The Delhomme’s do such a great job with their horses.”
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Riding since 2003, Thornton, 37, rode primarily at the Chicago-area tracks of Arlington Park and Hawthorne winning several riding titles until 2017 when he returned to his home state of Louisiana to ride having great success between Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs. Known as a leader in the jockey’s room, the hard-working and personable rider set a new track record at Delta Downs on October 23, 2021 winning seven races on the day’s 10-race card. On November 14, 2024 he posted his 3,000th career win while riding at Delta Downs.
Thornton has been riding at Fair Grounds since winning his fifth leading rider title at Delta Downs in February. He typically will move his tack to the Evangeline Downs meet which begins April 4.
Other nominees for Jockey of the Week include Luan Machado with a win in the Gr. III Jeff Ruby, Jose L. Ortiz with two stakes wins at Fair Grounds, 12 wins overall to lead all jockeys as well as his first Fair Grounds Leading Rider title, Joel Rosario who won the Gr. II Louisiana Derby and Luis Saez with a win in the Gr. II Fair Grounds Oaks.
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