Millionaire Touchuponastar seeks three-peat in Louisiana Premier Championship
?q=100)
Touchuponastar will bring the new title of millionaire into Saturday night’s $150,000 Louisiana Premier Championship at Delta Downs.
The race is the richest of six divisional stakes for Louisiana-breds on an 11-race card that begins at 4:50 p.m. Central.
Touchuponastar won the Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Dec. 14 at Fair Grounds and with the victory hit the seven-figure mark in career earnings.
“When you buy a horse for $15,000, I don’t think that ever crosses your mind, to be honest,” said Jake Delhomme, the retired NFL quarterback who owns Touchuponastar. “I know it never crosses my mind. He’s been a blessing and it’s been fun.”
Delhomme purchased Touchuponastar as a yearling. The horse is now 6 and figures to start as a strong favorite in the Championship, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles, off his five-length score in the Classic. The effort improved Touchuponastar’s career mark to 13 wins from 19 starts for earnings of $1,022,900.
“He’s really rounding into form,” Delhomme said. “He came out of the Champions Day race really well, had some good works since then, and hopefully he shows up on Saturday.”
Touchuponastar is part of a field of nine. He will start from post 7, with trainer Jeff Delhomme giving the mount to Timothy Thornton.
Touchuponastar is looking for a three-peat in the Championship as he’s won Delta’s richest race in both 2023 and 2024. He boasts a 5-for-6 record over the local strip. Touchuponastar’s lone Delta loss came two starts ago, when third against open company in the Delta Mile on Nov. 8. Komorebino Omoide won the race, which was the first out since May for Touchuponastar.
“I could say we needed one, but I think he got beat by a very good horse,” Jake Delhomme said. “That horse has come back and proven his class. He came back and ran a really nice second to Hit Show in the Louisiana at Fair Grounds. It’s a Grade 3.”
As for Touchuponastar, he is climbing up the ladder when it comes to the all-time richest Louisiana-breds. He ranks 11th, and the only active member above him on the list is leader Free Like a Girl.
“Our statebred program is fantastic,” Jake Delhomme said of rich cards like Louisiana Premier Night. “You have opportunities if you can get lucky and get one of those stakes horses and they can stay sound for a while. You have some good opportunities, so that’s been nice.”
And worth a million bucks.
Premier Night Starlet
The $100,000 Premier Night Starlet for 3-year-old fillies is the first stakes on the card, and it’s a showdown between Secret Faith, who is 6 for 7, and Blue Fire, who is responsible for her lone defeat.
The Starlet is a two-turn, seven-furlong race.
Blue Fire has won 2 of 3 starts and enters off a head win in the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie on Dec. 14 at Fair Grounds. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88 for the effort in the six-furlong race in which she edged Secret Faith.
Blue Fire had won a maiden special weight sprint one start prior, also at Fair Grounds.
“We’re trying a lot of different things now,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Blue Fire. “Two turns. Under the lights. Delta is different. We’ve been happy with her obviously. We’ll see what she can do.”
Blue Fire is a daughter of Aurelius Maximus, who was the leading freshman sire in Louisiana in 2024.
Secret Faith is by the same stallion, and she carried his banner as a five-time stakes winner last year who earned $367,022. Secret Faith has won back since the Louisiana Lassie, taking a division of the Louisiana Futurity on Dec. 29 at Fair Grounds.
Secret Faith is proven at both two turns and Delta, having won the track’s Louisiana Jewel at seven furlongs in October.
Joel Dominguez will ride Blue Fire from post 5 and Florent Geroux has the mount on Secret Faith from post 6.
Jayde Gelner trains Secret Faith.
Premier Prince
Voila Magic, a half-brother to Touchuponastar, goes in the $100,000 Prince for Asmussen. The race for 3-year-olds will be run over seven furlongs, and it drew a full field that includes the unbeaten Patience Will Pay for trainer Sarah Delany.
Voila Magic, who is by Volatile, will break from the rail one start after running second in a division of the Louisiana Futurity on Dec. 29 at Fair Grounds. The winner, Smoken Wicked, landed his second straight race over Voila Magic and his third straight race overall. For his five-length win last time, Smoken Wicked earned a Beyer of 92 for trainer Dallas Stewart.
“Viola Magic, I think he’s awfully happy Dallas didn’t enter back,” quipped Asmussen. “That last race, you were like, ‘Wow!’ ”
◗ Clearly a Test makes her Delta debut in the $125,000 Distaff at one mile.
◗ Classy Judy G will be chasing her fourth consecutive win when she starts in the $100,000 Matron at five furlongs.
◗ The $100,000 Sprint drew a full field of 10.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.