Touchuponastar heads speed-heavy New Orleans Classic

After a sensational victory over champion Sierra Leone and others in last year's New Orleans Classic (G2), Touchuponastar largely stayed close to home, racking up several facile victories against overmatched Louisiana-bred rivals.

The odds on Touchuponastar in Saturday's renewal of the $500,000 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds will not be as low as the 1-20 on offer in his last three starts, but they also won't be near the 6-1 backers got in the 1 1/8-mile race 12 months ago.

The seven-year-old owns a recent speed rating edge but lacks a tactical edge. Indeed, the New Orleans Classic is overloaded with pace.

The Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Life and Times and Accelerize are fast. Life and Times blitzed rivals to win his first two starts, though couldn't match strides with the more experienced Knightsbridge in his stakes debut last time.

Accelerize, meanwhile, makes his third trip to New Orleans this winter. He re-rallied to beat Just a Touch by a neck in the Louisiana (G3), and then just failed to last versus Hit Show in the Mineshaft (G3).

Another speedster is Not This Boy, the Tenacious S. winner who has lost two other stakes in photo finishes. Westwood, who provided the late John Shirreffs with his last stakes win in the Jan. 31 San Pasqual (G2), is yet another with early foot and debuts Saturday for Peter Eurton.

Corporate Power is far less accomplished than the rest, but could have a say late, given the pace dynamics.

A select field of seven will travel nine furlongs on the turf in the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic (G2). Multiple Grade 1 veteran Program Trading, a flat fifth when favored in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) last time, is looking for his first win in nearly two years. Canadian classic winner Tom's Magic, meanwhile, has strong local experience on his side and was second in the Tampa Bay (G3) last time to a loose-on-the-lead winner.

Lagynos and Montador ran one-two in the Fair Grounds (G3) last time, while Idratherbeblessed will look to spring a second upset in this race after leading all the way last year at 86-1.

The open stakes action on Louisiana Derby Day kicks off with Way to Be Marie's title defense in the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial, a 1 1/16-mile grass test for fillies and mares.