Touchuponstar working toward fall-winter campaign

Touchuponstar, who is the reigning Louisiana-bred of the Year, is back in training after a freshening and is gearing up for a fall-winter campaign, according to owner Jake Delhomme.

The horse last raced in May and was second by a neck in the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park near Dallas. Earlier this year, Touchuponastar ran second in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds and won both the Premier Night Championship at Delta Downs and the Evangeline Downs Classic.

“We started back with him about two weeks ago,” said Delhomme, the retired NFL quarterback. “He didn’t lose a whole lot. We just gave him a little freshening, I guess you could say. He didn’t really need it, but I’m just a believer in that. I just think horses, they give it to you and give it to you, like an athlete, and it’s always good. And when a horse can get a break when they’re sound, I just think it does wonders.”

Delhomme said Touchuponastar enjoyed daily turnout time during his freshening. The horse, who has won nine stakes, is trained by his brother, Jeff Delhomme.

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Touchuponastar’s campaign is to be determined, but he could return to action at Delta Downs, as he did last year when he had a break after running second in the 2023 Steve Sexton Mile. Touchuponastar won the Gold Cup at Delta last October.

“Delta, it just kind of falls in line,” Jake Delhomme said. “He likes Delta. We’re waiting on their stakes schedule to come out, and we’ll just go from there, hit the Fair Grounds.

“And you never know, we could try the turf with him. That’s something I’ve always floated in the back of my mind, about trying it, so we’ll see. We’ll just kind of play it by ear and let him tell us.”

Touchuponastar is a son of Star Guitar, the all-time leading Louisiana-bred who earned $1.7 million. Touchuponastar ranks 11th with earnings of $922,900, according to the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. There is just one other active horse above him, Free Like a Girl, with earnings of $1.6 million. Touchuponastar is a 5-year-old who was bred by Coteau Grove Farms.

“I would love to try to be able to get a graded win with him at some point in his career,” Jake Delhomme said. “It’s not the end-all be-all, but it would be kind of cool if we could possibly achieve that.

“He’s doing great. He looks fabulous. We’re lovin’ him. That’s for sure.”

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