North Charlotte Today

Jake Delhomme, former Panthers quarterback and thoroughbred trainer, experienced a significant victory at the New Orleans Classic at the Fair Grounds. His horse, Touchuponastar, ridden by jockey Timothy Thornton, won the race with a time of 1:48.10. Delhomme described it as "the biggest win of our career, easily."

Touchuponastar's triumph was unexpected given the competition. The horse was purchased for $15,000 five years ago and competed against Sierra Leone, last year's Breeders Cup Classic winner bought for $2.3 million, and Hall Of Fame, which sold for $1.4 million.

Delhomme likened the yearling sale to the NFL Draft and humorously referred to Touchuponastar as "undrafted," similar to his own entry into professional football. Despite being an underdog, Touchuponastar secured a $300,000 prize.

Reflecting on the result, Delhomme laughed when asked if he anticipated such an outcome: "No," he said casually. He acknowledged that Sierra Leone had not raced since November and might not have been at peak performance but added pragmatically: "But it is what it is," noting that it still counted as a victory.

The upset garnered attention in racing circles and featured prominently in Monday's Thoroughbred Daily News alongside renowned trainer Bob Baffert.

Delhomme received numerous congratulatory messages from friends and former colleagues after the race result was announced. Among those reaching out were former general manager Marty Hurney, Bills GM Brandon Beane, Luke Kuechly, Jeff King, and others.

This success capped off a positive week for Delhomme who also saw promise in his 3-year-old filly named Kalil—named after his former center Ryan Kalil—which won earlier that week.

"We named her Kalil for a reason," Delhomme said about the filly's name choice. He drew parallels between her acquisition price and drafting an All-Pro center late in the second round while acknowledging her gradual improvement akin to Kalil's development into dominance during his second year.