Down…Set…Hut!: Touchuponastar A Deep Threat For Delhommes

[Wandering Eyes]

If you are looking to back a runner who can confidently operate under center, shoot the A-gap and get to the next level, streak along the sideline and tip-toe ever so elegantly for the score, then look no further than Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar (Star Guitar), who took home his fourth Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday–the mark surpassed his stellar sire and moved him closer to $2-million in career earnings.

The 6-year-old's ride for brothers Jake and Jeff Delhomme took them to new heights earlier this year when their horse famously defeated champion and future sire Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GII New Orleans Classic. Replete with black-type on his page from the Pelican state, Touchuponastar has won 19 races in 26 starts.

The Delhommes are Louisiana-bred themselves and getting to run any of their horses in their own backyard is a dream come true, no matter the outcome.

In case you did not know, Jake was a standout quarterback for several NFL teams, namely the Carolina Panthers, and with that franchise he went to the Super Bowl. As the principal behind Set-Hut LLC, Jake works closely with his brother Jeff, who serves as the trainer for their stable. Touchuponastar, a $15,000 purchase out of the 2020 Texas Yearling sale, is the equivalent to a season's worth of game-winning touchdowns for the pair.

Delhomme & Co. at Delta in February | Hodges Photography

“Every experience that we have had is not only good for the stable, but it's better for the family and friends because of the happiness it spreads,” said Jeff, who on Sunday was heading to meet Jake at the Superdome where the former signal caller was covering the Saints-Panthers game on the radio for Carolina. “It goes further out than just Jake, my Dad, me, the groom, the jockey and the exercise riders. When you can touch that many other people's lives, it just makes every event just larger than life.”

Growing-up around horses because of their father, the Delhommes have built a small, but effective operation in Louisiana. Jeff says he wants to impart that same love of the horse to his son, James, who is ever-present in the paddock and back at the barn.

“My son will ask if I am nervous,” said Jeff. “Of course I am, but not when Touchuponastar gets in there because we are going to win. Really, it doesn't matter if we win or lose because he has accomplished so much.”

What makes Touchuponastar so unique is his versatility when it comes to speed and distance. Regularly posting 100-plus Beyers, the gelding can take tight turns, can wire fields and can be tactical when necessary. Like in football, speed serves many ends.

“A fast horse is a fast horse,” he said. “It really baffles me how Touchuponastar can do that. We've known [jockey] Eddie Delahoussaye forever and he told me once that A.P. Indy could have been a champion sprinter also. Again, when they are fast, it doesn't matter if it's four furlongs or a mile and a quarter.”

Jeff credits Jake for mapping out a plan for their stable star, which has helped keep the veteran runner fresh moving forward. Like a pro quarterback who shies away from thinking about games later in the season, the Delhommes apply the same standard when thinking about what is to come.

Jake Delhomme (left) with Touchuponastar and jockey Tim Thornton at Fair Grounds on Saturday | Hodges Photography

“We've had offers to run in races like the Pegasus [Gulfstream], but we are having so much fun in Louisiana-bred races where all our family and the local people can enjoy them together,” Jeff said. “So I don't think either is the wrong move. Going back to the New Orleans Classic would be great, but if the race doesn't set up in our mind, then that's not where he's going to go.”

What is potentially on tap is a return to the LA Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes at Delta Downs in early February, which is a race Touchuponastar has already won the past three years. Wherever he shows up next, the 6-year-old bay will garner attention from his fans.

“This is beyond our wildest dreams,” said Jeff. “My son says he wants to get into this business and be just like me and his Uncle Jake. He was asking me how many Louisiana-breds win graded races and I told him I didn't know the exact number. Roger Heitzmann [Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association] brought him the list. James was looking at it and was interested to see who was on it. To have your horse on there is pretty special.”

One of 35 graded winners in the history of the state according to records, Touchuponastar is in good company. As for the Delhommes, they are happy to just to be on the field with him.

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