The talent has always been present in Just a Touch, but through his first two seasons on the track, a graded victory has eluded him. Trainer Brad Cox and owners Qatar Racing and Marc Detampel are hoping that will change Jan. 17 in the $175,000 Louisiana Stakes (G3).
If there was a place for the dual grade 1-placed 5-year-old son of Justify to finally break through, it would make sense that it would be at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Both his career debut and 2025 season-starter came in New Orleans, La., to the tune of eye-catching victories.
Further benefitting the colt Saturday is Cox's recent dominance in the race, winning five of the last seven editions. Just a Touch, breaking from the far outside in a field of eight, is tabbed to continue that trend as the 8-5 morning line favorite off a six-month layoff. Additionally, Irad Ortiz Jr. will be in town to ride the horse for the very first time.
All of his seven competitors are also in search of their first graded glory. Several have proven themselves as quality stakes runners, like Town and Country Racing's Moonlight. The 5-year-old son of Audible exits a come-from-behind victory Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs in the Cherokee Mile Stakes over a one-turn mile.
Stretching back out to 1 1/16 miles, a distance at which he's won, a strong pace challenging Just a Touch could help him pick up the pieces. Among those potentially vying with Just a Touch for that top spot in the opening stages could be stakes winner Willy D's and the promising Accelerize, who makes his stakes and two-turn debut off a 2-length triumph against allowance foes at Gulfstream Park.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 17, 2026, Race 12Entries: Louisiana S. Presented by Hagyard (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Moonlight (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Chris M. Block 9/2 2 2Henro (KY) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 118 Chris A. Hartman 20/1 3 3Cadet Corps (KY) Paco Lopez 118 Kelly J. Breen 8/1 4 4Accelerize (KY) Flavien Prat 118 Todd A. Pletcher 8/1 5 5Sir Greylind (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 5/1 6 6Tarantino (KY) Ben Curtis 118 Peter Eurton 12/1 7 7Willy D's (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Michael J. Maker 4/1 8 8Just a Touch (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Brad H. Cox 8/5
Trio of Grass Stakes Strengthen Saturday Card
Saturday's card features three other stakes for older horses, including the $100,000 Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on turf one race before. Clark Brewster and L and N Racing's Gigante won the race a year ago when it was contested on the main track due to rain, and he enters this year as a 10-1 shot. His Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen, doubles up with the ultra consistent grade 3 winner Lagynos for HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud.
Flying P Stables' Kupuna is favored at 3-1 from the rail off a three-quarter-length defeat in the local Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes Dec. 20. Winner Idratherbeblessed and third-place finisher Sand Pipes return at better values of 6-1 and 12-1, respectively.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 17, 2026, Race 11Entries: Colonel E. R. Bradley S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Kupuna (KY) Luis Saez 122 Norm W. Casse 3/1 2 2Sand Pipes (KY) Rafael Manuel Hernandez 118 Lindsay Schultz 12/1 3 3Idratherbeblessed (KY) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 124 Chris A. Hartman 6/1 4 4Lagynos (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Steven M. Asmussen 7/2 5 5Cameo Performance (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Brendan P. Walsh 6/1 6 6Vote No (KY) Paco Lopez 124 Kelsey Danner 12/1 7 7Theismann (KY) Ben Curtis 120 Peter Eurton 10/1 8 8Point Proven (KY) Colby J. Hernandez 124 David Terre 12/1 9 9Reagan's Wit (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Cherie DeVaux 10/1 10 10Gigante (VA) James Graham 124 Steven M. Asmussen 10/1 11 11Otago (FL) Axel Concepcion 124 Kelsey Danner 20/1
C R K Stable and trainer Peter Eurton's California shipper Medoro is the 2-1 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes on turf over Cox-trained Sweet Treasure at 3-1, who was last seen finishing third in the Pebbles Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack for Full of Run Racing II and Frank Silva.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 17, 2026, Race 9Entries: Marie G. Krantz Memorial S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Cupids Crush (MN) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 124 Hugh H. Robertson 20/1 2 2Epic Style (KY) Axel Concepcion 118 Michael Stidham 12/1 3 3Wild Bout Hilary (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Rob Atras 20/1 4 4Lucky Speech (KY) James Graham 118 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1 5 5Medoro (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 Peter Eurton 2/1 6 6Sweet Treasure (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Brad H. Cox 3/1 7 7Strikingly Spun (KY) Paco Lopez 118 Joe Sharp 12/1 8 8Nanda Dea (ARG) Flavien Prat 124 Horacio De Paz 9/2 9 9Stylish Sue (KY) Luis Saez 120 Joe Sharp 8/1 10 10Lakota Spirit (KY) Isaac Castillo 118 Shane Wilson 50/1 11 11Triumphant Spirit (KY) Declan Cannon 118 Brendan P. Walsh 12/1
The turf course also plays host to the $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes for older sprinters traveling 5 1/2 furlongs Saturday. Charles Marquis' grade 2 winner, Bear River, aims to rebound off a pair of lackluster runs that included an 11th in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T). However, BG Stables and Selman Shaby's Usually Wrong holds 3-1 favoritism on the morning line after crossing the wire first in seven of 10 lifetime starts.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, January 17, 2026, Race 7Entries: Duncan F. Kenner S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Wendelssohn (KY) Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. 118 Chris A. Hartman 6/1 2 2Heart Headed (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Joe Sharp 7/2 3 3Bear River (KY) James Graham 124 J. Keith Desormeaux 8/1 4 4Usually Wrong (KY) Isaac Castillo 124 Robertino Diodoro 3/1 5 5Petcoff (KY) Ben Curtis 118 Brittany T. Russell 8/1 6 6Schwarzmeier (KY) Flavien Prat 118 Peter Eurton 20/1 7 7Step Forward (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Michael J. Maker 12/1 8 8Mondogetsbuckets (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Chris M. Block 12/1 9 9Can't Deny It (KY) Jareth Loveberry 120 Larry Rivelli 8/1 10 10Monsieur Candy (LA) Corey J. Lanerie 118 Alice G. Cohn 20/1 11 11Frost Free (KY) Tyler W. Bacon 118 Brett Creighton 20/1 12 12High Front (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Steven M. Asmussen 10/1 13 13Tough Catch (KY) Luis Saez 118 Dallas Stewart 12/1
