Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar captured his first graded stakes victory Saturday in the $480,000 GII New Orleans Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds, defeating Eclipse Award winner and Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Sierra Leone in a commanding wire-to-wire performance.
The 6-year-old gelding by Star Guitar, owned by former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme’s Set-Hut LLC, chose the path of greater resistance rather than competing in Sunday’s stakes race named for his sire.
“It was a tough decision,” said Delhomme. “You don’t want to make a decision for your ego, you want to do it for the horse. He was doing so well. We’re from Louisiana, we love our home-grown things and he’s a fan-favorite. We’re just blessed to have him.”
Jockey Timothy Thornton sent Touchuponastar immediately to the lead, setting fractions of :24 flat and :47.40 while TDN Rising Star Hall of Fame (Gun Runner) tracked in second. Heavily favored Sierra Leone settled at the back of the significantly reduced field after five early scratches.
Touchuponastar maintained his advantage through three-quarters in 1:10.78 and crossed the wire 2½ lengths clear. Hall of Fame held second, with Sierra Leone finishing third despite making up ground late.
Flavien Prat, who rode the beaten favorite Sierra Leone, explained: “He never got into a rhythm. He was struggling to keep up the pace. He made a run late but those horses were all running away.”
The victory marks the first Louisiana-bred winner of the New Orleans Classic since Scott’s Scoundrel in 1996.
Touchuponastar has never finished worse than third in his 21-race career, amassing 15 wins including 11 stakes victories. Prior to Saturday’s breakthrough graded win, his most significant open-company black-type success came in the Delta Mile Stakes in late 2023.
The consistent performer finished second in last year’s New Orleans Classic behind Red Route One and has twice been runner-up in the GIII Steve Sexton Mile. He entered Saturday’s race off consecutive stakes wins, including a third straight Louisiana Champions Day Classic in December and a three-peat in the LA-Bred Premier Night Championship at Delta on February 1.
Pedigree Notes
Touchuponastar represents one of 18 black-type winners for his sire Star Guitar. He is the 20-year-old stallion’s fourth winner at the group/graded level, joining Minit to Stardom and half-sisters Ova Charged and TDN Rising Star Manama Gold.
The winner’s dam, Touch Magic, was second in the GIII Delta Princess Stakes at two in 2012 and made Fair Grounds’ Silverbulletday Stakes the most important victory of her career the following season. Touchuponastar is a half-brother to three-time stakes-placed Voila Magic (Volatile), to a 2-year-old full-brother, and to a yearling filly by Maxfield. Touch Magic is due to Flightline for 2025.
From the female family of Bernstein, Caress and her stallion son Sky Mesa, Touchuponastar has now earned $1,412,900 with a lifetime record of 21-15-4-2.
🏈 Louisiana-Bred #5 TOUCHUPONASTAR dominates in the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2) over Hall Of Fame (2nd) and Sierra Leone (3rd) at @fairgroundsnola with Timothy Thornton in the irons for trainer Jeff Delhomme and owner Set-Hut (Jake Delhomme). pic.twitter.com/RTd4uuYgEB
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing)
🏈 Louisiana-Bred #5 TOUCHUPONASTAR dominates in the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2) over Hall Of Fame (2nd) and Sierra Leone (3rd) at March 22, 2025
