NEW ORLEANS – On the biggest day of racing in Louisiana, a 7-year-old gelding named Touchuponastar cemented his status as the best horse ever bred in Louisiana. Second two years ago in the New Orleans Classic, Touchuponastar won the race last year, and on Saturday became the first horse in 38 years to win two in a row. Touchuponastar ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:46.84 (106 Beyer Speed Figure), a clocking officially taken on GPS but confirmed through hand-timing. No horse here ever has run faster; Touchuponastar bested the 1:47.39 standard Factor This established in 2020. Racing on his birthday, Touchuponastar outran his pace rivals in the early stages, put away chasing Life and Times in upper stretch, and after doing all that work on a hot pace, held off closing Corporate Power to win the Grade 2, $300,000 New Orleans Classic by a half-length. Touchuponastar is by the best stallion ever seen in Louisiana, Star Guitar, and Star Guitar was a damned good racehorse himself. But this one – this one is something different. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “Someone was asking my brother, was this the horse of a lifetime. He said, ‘No, this is the horse of two lifetimes,’” an exuberant Jake Delhomme said. This Louisiana-bred is a Louisiana family affair. Delhomme, former quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, born and raised in the racing hotbed of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, runs horses under the nom de course Set-Hut. The brother is trainer Jeff Delhomme, though Jake plays a key part in Touchuponastar’s day to day, as does trainer Jerry Delhomme, their father. Jake Delhomme bought Touchuponastar, who’s out of the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic, for just $15,000 at auction. What a find that was. Touchuponastar on Saturday won for the 21st time in 28 starts. The $300,000 he earned pushed his bankroll past $2 million. “I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know what to say,” Delhomme said. “He’s had a lot of wins. This one’s different.” Fair Grounds had a real crowd on a beautiful, sunny Saturday. Touchuponastar has an actual following. The Saints are big. The gelding came through. Delhomme bemoaned the absence of jockey Tim Thornton, who had ridden Touchuponastar in his last 26 starts but was injured three weeks ago. Marcelino Pedroza picked up the mount, studied all the film, and saw he was getting on a luxury model with a very high cruising speed. On paper, a breakneck rush to the lead seemed possible here despite the participation of only five runners, but speedy Not This Boy took back, Life and Times was mildly ridden into the first turn, and even rail-drawn Westwood seemed hesitant to take on Touchuponastar, who does all his best work on the lead. On the lead, but nothing close to a run-off. The first quarter-mile of this 1 1/8-mile dirt contest went in a fast 22.97, Touchuponastar edging ahead of Westwood around the turn and getting over to the rail for the run down the backstretch. Pedroza said he saw Touchuponastar’s ears go up. He hit the half-mile pole in 46.40, still going easy. Flavien Prat on Life and Times pushed past a flagging Westwood at the end of the backstretch and Touchuponastar felt his presence, Pedroza said. His mount tried to surge forward, but Pedroza asked him to wait, and Touchuponastar complied. Prat by the quarter pole had gotten busy on Life and Times – too busy, his run already had tapered off. Corporate Power, who stalked the pace on the inside, sprang to life, coming outside and beginning to gain on the leader past the furlong grounds. But this horse was not getting beat – not here, not today. Touchuponastar got his last furlong in 12.70 and got home a very popular winner, paying $4.40. Corporate Power missed 15 1/2 months of racing before returning Feb. 24 and winning a second-level allowance in his first start for trainer Steve Asmussen. This horse had been a good 3-year-old in 2024. He still is a good horse. “That would win a lot of good races,” Asmussen said. “Was I surprised? He had been training so well out of his last race.” A spent Life and Times checked in third, 5 1/4 lengths behind Corporate Power and more than 13 ahead of Not This Boy. Westwood was all but eased; Accelerize was an early scratch. Coteau Grove Farms, one of Louisiana’s top breeders, bred Touchuponastar, who lucked out landing with a small, very hands-on operation. The Delhommes take the horse out of training during the heat of each Louisiana summer. Keep him with Louisiana-bred company who can’t come close to him while building toward the annual major goal – this very race. As always, outside voices will clamor for Delhomme to take the horse out on the road and into a major race at a major venue. Delhomme will think about it. The family loves this horse and loves where he has taken them. At 7, Touchuponastar still looks fabulous. Pedroza said he travels like a dream. Touchuponastar doesn’t have to go anywhere else. The Louisiana-bred just won the New Orleans Classic for the second time. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.