Set-Hut's Touchuponastar looks to solidify his place as a Louisiana-bred legend Dec. 14 when he targets a third consecutive victory in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Victory Saturday would elevate the 5-year-old Star Guitar gelding to millionaire status. Never off the board in 18 career starts, the Jeff Delhomme trainee is 11-for-13 in state-bred restricted races with eight stakes victories. Both state-bred losses came in his first three career starts.
His dominance against Louisiana-breds has earned him 3-5 favoritism on the morning line despite exiting consecutive losses, both against open stakes company, for the first time in his career.
Only four rivals will take up the challenge, with both Tdzshininluckystar and Benoit cross-entered in other races on the card.
All four runners exit the Nov. 23 Jacob V. Morreale Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds. Delanie Calais Jr.'s Cosmic Train rallied from last to defeat Tdzshininluckystar by a head. Allnight Moonlight was 1 1/4 lengths behind in fifth while Benoit was another 2 3/4 lengths back in sixth.
The 1 1/8-mile feature appears early in the card thanks to the small field, going off at 1:45 p.m. CT as race 3, and sets the stage for the rest of the Louisiana Champions Day action.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 3Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Classic S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Benoit (LA) James Graham 120 Joe O. Duhon 12/1 2 2Cosmic Train (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Jerry Delhomme 9/2 3 3Tdzshininluckystar (LA) Chris R. Rosier 121 Nason Eschete 5/1 4 4Allnight Moonlight (LA) Jaime A. Torres 124 Samuel Breaux 4/1 5 5Touchuponastar (LA) Timothy Thornton 124 Jeff Delhomme 3/5
Free Like a Girl Attempts 20th Stakes Win
Gerald Bruno Jr., Chasey Deville Pomier, and Jerry Caroom's Free Like a Girl has already asserted herself as a Louisiana-bred legend, having earned more than $2 million, with 21 wins in 45 starts.
However, the Pomier-trained, two-time grade 1-placed daughter of El Deal could achieve another career milestone, her 20th stakes win, in the six-furlong, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Stakes.
Among her competition are Noneya, Freeburn, and Six String, the respective 1-2-3 finishers of the Nov. 22 Delmar R. Caldwell Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds over the same distance.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 8Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Luyv (LA) Sergio Munoz 120 Garland Goins 12/1 2 2Custom Design (LA) Colby J. Hernandez 122 Floyd D. Pitzer 20/1 3 3Free Drop Maddy (LA) C.J. McMahon 118 W. Bret Calhoun 20/1 4 4Freeburn (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 116 Steven M. Asmussen 9/2 5 5Free Like a Girl (LA) Elio J. Barrera 124 Chasey Deville Pomier 4/5 6 6Blessed Assurance (LA) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 118 Phillip Mark Dison 20/1 7 7Accommodate Eva (LA) David Cohen 122 Sturges J. Ducoing 20/1 8 8Noneya (LA) Jose Luis Rodriguez 124 Ronnie P. Ward 6/1 9 9Six String (LA) Ben Curtis 122 Allen Landry 5/1
Other Action on Louisiana Champions Day
Allied Racing Stable's multiple stakes winner Jack Hammer returns from a nine-month layoff for trainer Bret Calhoun as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the six-furlong, $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint Stakes.
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Sprint S.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 10
- STK
- 6f
- Dirt
- $100,000
- 3 yo's & up
- 5:15 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Mangum (LA) | Colby J. Hernandez | 118 | Jeff Delhomme | 8/1 |
| 2 | 2Geaux Sugar (LA) | Mitchell Murrill | 124 | Keith G. Bourgeois | 8/1 |
| 3 | 3El Dinero (LA) | James Graham | 122 | Patrick Devereux, Jr. | 9/2 |
| 4 | 4Good and Stout (LA) | Timothy Thornton | 122 | Carrol Castille | 15/1 |
| 5 | 5Brittany's Dream (LA) | Jeiron Barbosa | 122 | Shane Wilson | 12/1 |
| 6 | 6Sonofaship (LA) | Axel Concepcion | 116 | Jose M. Camejo | 20/1 |
| 7 | 7Tdzshininluckystar (LA) | Chris R. Rosier | 122 | Nason Eschete | 10/1 |
| 8 | 8Not On Herb (LA) | Jareth Loveberry | 124 | David Terre | 10/1 |
| 9 | 9Autumns Strong Man (LA) | Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. | 118 | Gary J. Husak | 20/1 |
| 10 | 10Clear as a Bele (LA) | Declan Cannon | 124 | Courtney Dandridge Jr. | 15/1 |
| 11 | 11Jack Hammer (LA) | Jose L. Ortiz | 124 | W. Bret Calhoun | 3/1 |
| 12 | 12Mike J (LA) | Jose Andres Guerrero | 118 | Shane Wilson | 20/1 |
| 13 | 13Bron and Brow (LA) | Jaime A. Torres | 124 | Norm W. Casse | 6/1 |
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will try to keep Coteau Grove Farms' 3-year-old filly Eye of the Pharoah unbeaten in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf Stakes. She breaks from the far outside in post 11 for the about 1 1/16-mile contest.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 9Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Highly Wicked (LA) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 120 Sam B. David, Jr. 7/2 2 2Emily's Bullet (LA) Elio J. Barrera 115 Chasey Deville Pomier 20/1 3 3Clearly a Test (LA) Jose Andres Guerrero 115 Shane Wilson 8/1 4 4Tensas Candy (LA) Alexander Castillo 118 Jorge Lara 20/1 5 5Dixie Farmer (LA) Axel Concepcion 118 Yovani Munoz 8/1 6 6Visionista (LA) Mitchell Murrill 118 Eduardo Rodriguez 30/1 7 7Birdie Call (LA) Jeiron Barbosa 118 Chadwick J. Mouton 20/1 8 8Cheapskate Diva (LA) Carlos L. Marquez 120 Joseph R. Felks 8/1 9 9Tommie G (LA) C.J. McMahon 115 Patricia G. West 15/1 10 10Boomin' Belle (LA) Jareth Loveberry 117 Michael J. Maker 5/2 11 11Eye of the Pharaoh (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 117 Steven M. Asmussen 4/1 12 12Sabra Tuff (LA) Ben Curtis 118 Sturges J. Ducoing 5/1
The boys will also travel about 1 1/16 miles in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf Stakes. Richard Painter and Dewberry Farm's Woods N Water will attempt to improve for new trainer Samuel Breaux following consecutive runner-up efforts at Remington Park.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 7Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Turf S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Big Boo (LA) Rohan R. Singh 118 Darla S. Singh 20/1 2 2Mi Solution (LA) Mitchell Murrill 118 Keith G. Bourgeois 12/1 3 3Behemah Star (LA) Jose Andres Guerrero 118 Shane Wilson 7/2 4 4Calicoco (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Shane Wilson 5/1 5 5Who Took the Money (LA) C.J. McMahon 118 W. Bret Calhoun 3/1 6 6House Bourbon (LA) Axel Concepcion 115 Allen Landry 15/1 7 7Benoit (LA) James Graham 118 Joe O. Duhon 10/1 8 8Brian's Iron Mike (LA) Ben Curtis 118 Allen Landry 10/1 9 9Woods N Water (LA) Timothy Thornton 120 Samuel Breaux 8/1 10 10Sonya Knows Better (LA) Colby J. Hernandez 118 Samuel Breaux 20/1 11 11Blue Cheese (LA) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 118 Samuel Breaux 10/1
Valene Farms' Smoken Wicked is the 8-5 favorite in the six-furlong $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes. The grade 2-placed son of Bobby's Wicked One has faced the toughest competition among the seven opponents, having finished fourth in two grade 1 events for trainer Dallas Stewart.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 6Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Tdz Hint of Power (LA) Casey Fusilier 122 Nason Eschete 8/1 2 2Hay Jude (LA) Jareth Loveberry 122 Thomas M. Amoss 3/1 3 3Louisiana Jess (LA) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 W. Bret Calhoun 6/1 4 4Voila Magic (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Steven M. Asmussen 3/1 5 5Seventh Deal (LA) Ben Curtis 122 Eduardo Ramirez 12/1 6 6Smoken Wicked (LA) Colby J. Hernandez 122 Dallas Stewart 8/5 7 7Hesper (LA) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 122 Gregory D. Foley 15/1
Norman Stables' Secret Faith is the class of the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes. The daughter of Aurelius Maximus is 5-for-5 to start her career for trainer Jayde Gelner with four stakes wins and a combined margin of 33 1/4 lengths.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Race 5Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Lassie S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Wannawholelottaluv (LA) Jareth Loveberry 122 Justin Jeansonne 15/1 2 2Majestic Rags (LA) Elio J. Barrera 122 Jayde J. Gelner 20/1 3 3Clearly Credo (LA) Axel Concepcion 122 Oscar Modica 20/1 4 4Blue Fire (LA) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Steven M. Asmussen 9/5 5 5Fast Flame (LA) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Joe Sharp 3/1 6 6Warrior's Justice (LA) Declan Cannon 122 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1 7 7Secret Faith (LA) C.J. McMahon 122 Jayde J. Gelner 7/5 8 8Tdz Dancinlilslew (LA) Casey Fusilier 117 Nason Eschete 30/1
