Touchuponastar Aims to Repeat in New Orleans Classic

It's only fitting that on closing weekend of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet, Louisiana's pride and joy, Touchuponastar, is competing in the March 21 New Orleans Classic (G2), a race that the now 7-year-old won last year. Owned by Jake Delhomme's Set-Hut and trained by his brother, Jeff, Touchuponastar, the 2023 and 2025 Louisiana-bred Horse of the Year, is among a field of six entered in the $500,000 dirt race for 4-year-olds and up. The race, however, lost a runner Tuesday when trainer Todd Pletcher told BloodHorse that he would scratch Louisiana Stakes (G3) winner Accelerize to run in the March 21 Essex Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park. There will be one notable member of the Touchuponastar team missing Saturday: jockey Tim Thornton, who has ridden the gelding in all but one of his 27 career starts, and has been aboard for each of his 20 victories. Thornton is recovering from an injury suffered while warming up Set-Hut runner Soft Hands, a first-time starter, who spooked before entering the gate March 7 at Fair Grounds and was scratched. Soft Hands is entered in Saturday's finale. Marcelino Pedroza Jr. will deputize aboard Touchuponastar. Since winning last year's 1 1/8-mile New Orleans Classic by 2 1/4 lengths, Touchuponastar, the son of another of Louisiana's greats, Star Guitar, has been defeated just once in six subsequent starts. His wins include a 10-length blowout in the Delta Mile Stakes, the second time he won that race. In winning his last start, the Feb. 7 Louisiana Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes, Touchuponstar earned a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 118. It would seem Touchuponastar has never been better. "We toyed with the idea of running in the Pegasus (World Cup Invitational), to be very honest," Jake Delhomme said. "But we just love running in Louisiana and at the Fair Grounds. It's such a great historic track. It was always in the back of my mind, 'Man, if we could get to the Classic again and run, that's what we were going to try to do." Pletcher will be represented in the New Orleans Classic by Life and Times, who was most recently third in the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. The lightly raced 5-year-old son of Justify has been working sharply at Palm Beach Downs and won his first two career starts in flashy fashion late last year in New York. Westwood, previously trained by the late John Shirreffs and the conditioner's final winner, ships from California for new trainer Peter Eurton. The gelding was an easy winner of the Jan. 31 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. The field is completed by listed stakes winner Not This Boy, who is making his 5-year-old debut, and black-type winner Corporate Power, who won an allowance optional claimer last month at Fair Grounds after more than a year layoff. PROGRAM TRADING TOPS MUNIZ MEMORIAL CLASSIC The $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic (G2T), which follows the New Orleans Classic as race 10 on the card, drew seven runners. The 1 1/8-mile turf race attracted three-time grade 1 winner Program Trading (GB), a winner of more than $1.5 million. Owned by Klaravich Stables, the Chad Brown trainee enters off a fifth-place finish as the favorite in the Jan. 24 Pegasus Cup World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1T). The Lope de Vega (IRE) ridgling was beaten under 2 lengths by the winner, Test Score. The field also includes Lagynos and Montador, the top two in the Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T), and last year's 86-1 Muniz winner, Idratherbeblessed.