New Orleans Classic, Muniz Memorial Winners Surpass $2 Million in Earnings
New Track Record as Touchuponastar Repeats in New Orleans Classic
Lagynos secures second consecutive stakes with Muniz Memorial victory
NEW ORLEANS (March 21, 2026) – New Orleans Classic and Muniz Memorial winners each topped $2 million in earnings with their victories on Louisiana Derby Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, as Touchuponastar set a track record in the Grade 2 $500,000 New Orleans Classic presented by Hagyard and Lagynos captured the Grade 2 $300,000 Muniz Memorial presented by Horse Racing Nation.
Set-Hut’s Touchuponastar delivered a historic performance in the Grade 2 $300,000 New Orleans Classic presented by Hagyard, setting a new track record while successfully defending his title. With the win, the Louisiana-bred star surpassed $2 million in career earnings and further cemented his status among the state’s all-time greats.
Covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.84, Touchuponastar broke the previous track record of 1:47.64 set by Nates Mineshaft in 2012. Trained by Jeff Delhomme and ridden by Marcelino Pedroza Jr., he seized command early and never relented, setting fast fractions before turning back challenges from Life and Times and late-running Corporate Power to win by a half-length. Life and Times held third.
“It was a pleasure for me to ride this horse,” Pedroza said. “There was a little pressure, but after the gates opened, I let him go to the front and he did the rest for me. Thanks to Mr. Delhomme, all the family–their great work with this horse made my job a lot easier.”
“He’s just different,” owner Jake Delhomme said. “I think when you see him, when you see the way he acts in the paddock, the way he acts whenever we go to train in the morning, he takes care of himself. We give him breaks in the summertime. He’s easy on himself when he trains, and he knows his job.
There’s a lot of great horsemen in Louisiana, but there’s a lot of great fans, and we appreciate good horses, right? We appreciate it, and we’re lucky he’s been around.
This is his seventh year, and, you know, they appreciate him. And I was the same way. You love to see those horses come back and race, and Touchuponastar has a big following. Honestly, it’s a big responsibility on our part, because we want to make sure he’s ready to run every time he comes. But he makes our job pretty easy.”
Touchuponastar returned $4.40, $2.80 and $2.10 and improved his record to 28-21-4-2 with earnings of $2,060,000.
In the $300,000 Muniz Memorial presented by Horse Racing Nation, Lagynos also crossed the $2 million mark with a decisive victory.
Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by José Ortiz, Lagynos tracked the pace along the rail before angling out in the stretch to take command and win by 1 length over Tom’s Magic. Program Trading finished third.
Lagynos covered 1 1/8 miles on the turf in 1:48.17, giving Ortiz his fifth win of the day.
“This is a nice horse,” Ortiz said. “He does everything right, and he always shows up, even when he gets beat.”
“I’m extremely proud of Lagynos,” Asmussen said. “He’s a colt that as a 3-year-old, ran in a lot of races, and had a lot of tough luck trips. He never gave up, but I do believe, you know, with this last two wins, he’s found a new level of confidence. You could see that, you know, he handled so nice for Jose, and when he asked him to run, ran through the wire.”
Lagynos paid $5.20, $2.80 and $2.10 and improved his record to 25-7-5-7 with earnings of $2,010,166.
New Orleans Classic Additional Quotes
Luis Saez, jockey of place-finisher Corporate Power
“He made his run. I thought there was going to be a ton of speed, probably more pressure, but there wasn’t, so we had to make a move early. Every time we were getting close to the winner he ran on again. He’s a tough horse to beat”
Flavien Prat, jockey of third-place finisher Life and Times
“We got our trip and made a run, we just got beaten by a better horse today”
Muniz Memorial Additional Quotes
Luis Saez, jockey of place-finisher Tom’s Magic
“He tried, he ran great. The winner was pretty tough. We tried to hang on, but just second best today.”
Flavien Prat, jockey of third-place finisher Program Trading
“He ran very evenly. We got a good trip, just could not kick on with the winner.”
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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.
