His Eminence Touchuponastar Scores Record Fourth Louisiana Champions Day Classic

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Touchuponastar; Hodges Photo
“His Eminence” Touchuponastar Scores Record Fourth Louisiana Champions Day Classic

NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 13, 2025) — Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots featured seven stakes races totaling $900,000 in purses, headlined by Set-Hut’s Touchuponastar, who recorded a historic fourth consecutive victory in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, surpassing his sire Star Guitar as the winningest horse in the 35 runnings of the event.

Trained by Jeff Delhomme and ridden by Timothy Thornton, Touchuponastar went to the front early and controlled the field of four older rivals throughout the 1 1/8 miles, stopping the clock in 1:49.46 and winning by 8 3/4 lengths under minimal encouragement.

“Today, I never asked him to run at all,” Thornton said. “Even when he wins this easily, I sometimes have to cluck to him a little bit to keep his mind on business, but today I didn’t have to. I never moved a muscle.”

Touchuponastar is owned by Louisiana native and former NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme.

“It’s hard to put into words,” Delhomme said. “He’s been an absolute dream for us. We take care of him — we really do. We give him breaks when he doesn’t even need them. He has such a great following, and we want him to be around as long as possible. In the end, it’s what’s best for the horse. He’s just a dream.”

Sippin On Gin rallied for second, five lengths clear of Letmikefigureitout in third.

Touchuponastar returned $2.10 to win, place and show.

The 6-year-old, bred by Coteau Grove Farms, owns a career record of 26-19-4-2 with $1.67 million in earnings.

Sibling six-furlong dirt sprint stakes for older horses were also contested on Louisiana Champions Day, with Secret Faith edging Blue Fire in a thrilling edition of the $125,000 Ladies Sprint, while defending champion Geaux Sugar repeated in the $125,000 Sprint.

A last-out winner of the Caldwell Memorial, Secret Faith is owned by Norman Stables and trained by Jayde Gelner. Ridden by C.J. McMahon, the 3-year-old filly improved her record to 14-11-1-0 and increased her career earnings to $681,022.

Single Malt Stables’ Geaux Sugar broke sharply under Mitchell Murrill, seized the early lead and was never seriously threatened, as the Keith Bourgeois trainee improved his record to 25-13-4-2 with $528,375 in earnings.

A pair of 1 1/16-mile turf stakes followed, beginning with the $125,000 Ladies Turf, where Rising Inflation proved best, scoring by 6 3/4 lengths over Highly Wicked. Owned by Mark Rose, Slam Dunk Racing and Dennis Bailey, Rising Inflation was patiently ridden by Isaac Castillo for trainer Jonathan Wong. The 4-year-old filly handed Highly Wicked her first turf defeat in 10 starts.

In the $125,000 Turf, contested by 11 older males, Roger Smith’s Allnight Moonlight rallied from far back to win by 1 3/4 lengths under Jose Ortiz. Trained by Sam Breaux, the winner of the 2025 Edward Johnston and 2023 Crescent City Derby owns a career record of 28-10-6-1 with $560,980 in earnings.

Juveniles took center stage in the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile and Lassie, each run at six furlongs on dirt for $125,000. Allied Racing Stables’ homebred Our Moneyman captured the boys division after overcoming traffic trouble when runner-up Scar Ship bolted on the far turn. Trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Axel Concepcion, Our Moneyman earned his first stakes victory after finishing second in the Peluso Memorial.

​12/13/2025 – Little Miss Curlin with jockey Jareth Loveberry aboard wins the 35th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

Keeping her perfect record intact, Coteau Grove Farms’ homebred Little Miss Curlin earned her second stakes victory of the meet, adding the Lassie to the Ferguson Memorial. Trained by Pat Devereaux Jr. and ridden by Jareth Loveberry, the Charlatan filly defeated Thrill Seeker by 4 1/4 lengths for her third career victory.

Stakes action continues Saturday, Dec. 20, at Fair Grounds, with fields drawn for Road to the Derby Kickoff Day, headlined by the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes, which awards 10-5-3-2-1 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the top five finishers. First post for the 12-race card is 12:45 p.m. CT.

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.