When Touchuponastar won the LA Bred Premier Night Champion Stakes at Delta Downs for the third year in a row Feb. 1, it continued a run of good fortune for his connections.
The 6-year-old Star Guitar gelding, who was purchased for $15,000 as a yearling, was named the 2023 Louisiana-bred Horse of The Year and has now earned more than $1.1 million for owners Set-Hut. He was bred by Coteau Grove Farms, which enjoyed a big night Feb. 1 at Delta Downs.
Last year was a banner year for the Coteau Grove, located near Sunset, La., represented by four black-type winners, and earnings of more than $3 million. Keith and Ginger Myers founded the farm in 2008, and they have excelled with the help of their adviser, Andrew Cary.
Coteau Grove Farms
Cary started working for the Myers in 2014, thanks to the introduction from good friend and former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme (Set-Hut), owner of Touchuponastar. They got off to a promising start, with the second mare he purchased for the Myers being the dam of No Parole , winner of the 2020 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1). He purchased Plus One for a bargain $67,000.
Cary is responsible for the commercial breeding farm’s matings of 63 broodmares, which includes the mating that produced Touchuponastar, who is out of the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic . The excitement will continue this year as Touch Magic is expecting a foal by 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline .
“He was a beautiful yearling, he didn’t bring very much because he sold in the summer when COVID hit, and there was so much uncertainty about everything,” Cary said. “I always loved the horse; he was big and strong. He looked a lot like Star Guitar, and that sale (Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling and HORA Sale) was just very weak, and a lot of people were just focusing on first-crop Kentucky sires, and Star Guitar was not what he’s become the last four years since then.”
Cary continued: “He was always a standout physically, really, really nice horse. Jake (Delhomme) had seen him at the farm a few times, and saw him through his progression; he knew how nice the horse was from the get-go.”
It’s a family affair as the Delhommes are at the barn together every morning, said Cary. Jeff Delhomme, Jake’s brother, is the trainer of Touchuponastar, and their father and trainer Jerry Delhomme is hands-on as well.
Touchuponastar’s 3-year-old half brother Voila Magic by Volatile , ran third behind race winner Cajun Mitole in the $100,000 LA Bred Premier Night Prince Stakes Feb. 1 for owners Three Chimneys Farm, Coteau Grove, and Dusty Castille. Voila Magic sold for $275,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale to Three Chimneys Farm.
Allnight Moonlight capped off a victorious night winning the Gentleman Starter Stakes to give Coteau Grove another victory on the 22nd Louisiana Premier Night at Delta Downs. The son of Ransom The Moon is a multiple stakes winner.
Graded stakes winnerTumbarumba is another current graduate of the Myer’s breeding program. The son of Oscar Performance has career earnings of $691,690 and was last seen finishing third in the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, a race he won in 2024.
“We were top 40 nationally last year,” said Cary. “Last year was our best year ever. We want to continue that.”
Andrew Cary
Cary said they have a great crop of 2- and 3-year-olds they bred such as Supa Speed , a filly by Justify , who is multiple stakes-placed for trainer John Sadler. She was a $460,000 yearling purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Boardshorts Stable. Her half brother by Into Mischief sold for $575,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale to Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt/Jackpot Farm/Whispering Oaks. Steve Asmussen will train the juvenile.
“The Louisiana program is getting better and better every year,” Cary said. “Purses are going up, breeders’ awards are very strong. It’s a very good program.”
In addition to their strong broodmare band, Coteau Grove purchased Wit , a 6-year-old stallion by Practical Joke , in partnership with Whispering Oaks. Proving their confidence in the Louisiana-bred program, the Myers plan to strongly support their new addition with many quality mares.
A multiple graded stakes winner, Wit was a $575,000 yearling purchase and raced for Repole Stables, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway. Cary signed the ticket for the stallion at Keeneland’s Horses of Racing Age Sale last year for $100,000.
“It’s been a great decade,” he said. “I think we’re in a better position than we’ve ever been with the mare quality that we have, who they’re bred to, just what we’ve acquired the last few years. It’s a broodmare band that would rival a lot of top Kentucky farms, and they’re running on the track, which is great, that’s the ultimate test.”
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