Shooting Superstar
Touchuponastar continues to solidify his spot among the all-time greatest Louisiana-breds.
By Denis Blake
Touchupoonastar with jockey Timothy Thornton notches his fourth consecutive victory in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Jan Brubaker
If you want to strike up a lively debate next time you are at the racetrack, try asking a group of horsemen who they think is the best Louisiana-bred of all-time. You are likely to get no shortage of answers, and certainly it’s not easy to compare horses of today with those from another era. But one thing nearly all would agree upon is that Star Guitar and his son Touchuponastar are both leading contenders as the answer to that impossible-to-answer question. Of course, Free Like a Girl, the richest horse ever produced by the state with earnings of more than $2.5 million, is also an obvious choice. Star Guitar is at No. 2 on the earnings list with a bankroll of $1,749,862, and with his most recent victory, Touchuponastar is within striking distance of his sire at No.4 with a haul of $1,670,000, just behind Happy Ticket at $1,688,838. In a state with such a rich history of racing and breeding, arguments can be made for others as well.
But no one can dispute that Touchuponastar is now the winningest horse in the 35-year history of Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds. On December 13 at the New Orleans track, the 6-year-old gelding won the $150,000 Louisiana Day Champions Classic for the fourth consecutive time, bettering the mark of three straight set by Star Guitar from 2010-2012. Even though he’s about to turn seven, Touchuponastar showed no sign of slowing down with one of the most visually impressive of his 19 career wins as he coasted to the finish line in front by nearly nine lengths under Tim Thornton.
Anyone would love to own a horse like Touchuponastar, but it’s even more special to do it as a family. The gelding is trained by Jeff Delhomme and owned by Set-Hut LLC, which is headed by his brother, Jake.
Touchuponastar opens distance between himself and his competitors to win the Louisiana Champions Day Classic for a record breaking fourth consecutive year.
Brothers Jake and Jeff Delhomme in the Louisiana Champions Day paddock with LTBA Executive Director, Roger Heitzmann.
“Jeff has done a great job with him, and we are both so fortunate,” said Jake. “We were raised around my dad (Jerry), who just turned 80 years old and to be very honest, he beats Jeff and I to the barn every single morning. We learned everything from him. Football gave me a chance to expand our operation, and when I wrapped up playing in 2012 we expanded again.
“It’s been fun for all three of us to have a horse like him,” Jake added. “The family has certainly enjoyed it, and I think racing fans around the state appreciate him because he’s such a cool horse.”
As a quarterback who played for more than a decade in the NFL and nearly led the Carolina Panthers to victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots, Jake knows a thing or two being an elite athlete over a long period of time. The Louisiana native continues to be impressed at how Touchuponastar seems to be just as good—and perhaps better—than he was when he made his racing debut back in 2022. The then 3-year-old finished a much-troubled second in that first race and then stamped himself as rising star by winning his next outing by 21 ¼ lengths. In his 26 career starts, he’s only finished off the board once.
“My goal is to keep him around as long as possible if he still wants to train and race and compete at a certain level. If that day comes where he looks like he’s lost a step or two, then you will not see him ever again in the starting gate. I think that’s my responsibility to do right by him. He’s brought us such joy and pleasure.”
Jake Delhomme
“I truly think it comes from his genetics,” said Jake, who currently serves on the LTBA board of directors. “Certainly, everyone knows who Star Guitar was. He ran until he was seven and was still at the top of his game, and (Touchuponastar’s) mother was a solid runner. He was raised by some great people on a great farm. And he’s not hard on himself when it comes to training. He enjoys it. He loves it. But he’s not one of those that pounds the racetrack. He takes care of himself when he trains in a good way.”
Touchuponastar, who is out of the Grade 3-placed Lion Heart mare Touch Magic, was bred by Keith and Gingers Myers’ Coteau Grove Farms. The Delhomme and Myers families have long been friends, so that makes Touchuponastar’s success even better for all involved. Although the Louisiana-bred sold as a yearling for just $15,000 at the 2020 Texas Summer Yearling Sale during a soft market due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Myers have still benefitted handsomely from the lucrative breeders’ awards earned by the gelding.
“Coteau Grove has established an unbelievable program in a short amount of time, and Keith and Ginger do a great job,” said Jake. “They bred three of the Champions Day winners this year.”
As they have done throughout his career, the Delhommes are going to be patient with their star runner and let the horse dictate his schedule. It’s a playbook that has worked beautifully so far, and with only 26 total starts over his four years on the track, they hope he’s still got a bit more magic left. Jake knows how lucky he is to have a special horse like Touchuponastar, and he’s extra lucky to enjoy the experience with both family and friends. Yet he realizes that Touchuponastar’s remarkable run, highlighted by a signature victory over champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone in this year’s $500,000 New Classic Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds, cannot go on forever.
After each of his Champions Day Classic wins in the past, Touchuponastar has appeared next in the LA Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes at Delta Downs, which of course he has won three years running. A fourth attempt in that race on February 7 is certainly on the table, and there’s also a chance to really shoot for the stars in the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on January 24 at Gulfstream Park.
“We’ve always gone into Premier Night at Delta Downs, but there could be some other options on the table,” Jake said about the gelding’s future. “We’re gonna let him tell us, and that’s not a line or a cliche. That’s kind of what we do with him. He lets you know when he’s ready to do a little more, and if things work out and there’s an opportunity outside the state, we certainly would entertain that if it fits his schedule.”
As a pro football player, Jake had to make the decision about when it was time to hang it up and move on to the next chapter in his life. So when will that time come for Touchuponastar?
“I don’t like to think about that, but listen, he’s a horse, right?” said Jake. “Anything can happen. So we’re going to enjoy the heck out of this while we can. I have an idea or two in my head that I’ll keep to myself, but we’ll see what happens when it’s all said and done. My goal is to keep him around as long as possible if he still wants to train and race and compete at a certain level. If that day comes where he looks like he’s lost a step or two, then you will not see him ever again in the starting gate. I think that’s my responsibility to do right by him. He’s brought us such joy and pleasure.”