When Jake Delhomme played the quarter-Arrière in the NFL, he has always been disappointed when the compulsory mini-camps coincided with the first Saturday in May-he would have much preferable to Louisville for Kentucky Derby.
Delhomme, who was not drafted from the southwest of Louisiana in 1996, played two seasons in the NFL Europe before being pulled with the New Orleans. He was mainly a backup in New Orleans, but his career took off when he signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2003 – Delhomme and the Panthers made a Cinderella race this season, to the Super Bowl. After having almost upset Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl XXXVIII, Delhomme played eight other seasons in the League, winning two NFC South titles along the way.
In the Super Bowl XXXVIII, Delhomme passed for 323 yards and three touched, the last of which equaled the match at 29 with 1:08 to play. Brady, however, would use the following 64 seconds to direct a journey that ended with the 41 -yard basket winner of Adam Vinatieri.
Delhomme's passion for football game is only equaled by his passion for horses.
Delhomme, a third -generation horse owner, currently directs stables at the Breaux Bridge curve, Louisiana, with her father and brother. He grew up on a Bridge, Cajun Country farm at around 125 miles west of New Orleans. When he did not play football in high school, Delhomme was in and around the family barn with horses.
“We did not grow up in hunting, fishing and golf,” said Delhomme at Athlon Sports. “I went to school, I played sports and we had the barn at home. We lived on 15 acres, and Dad formed some horses. And it is such a large company in Louisiana. ”
It is a company that Delhomme has kept in the family. He was only nine years old when his grandfather died, but he remembers coming to him in the barn and he heard a lot of history from his family and friends.
Even after his retirement after the 2011 season, Delhomme was only in Kentucky Derby twice.
The good news is that it is because it is concerned about its own horses on the first Saturday in May.
“Several times, we have brought back horses here on our home track on a derby day,” said Delhomme. “Many songs take place that day because it is a big deal that day. So many people attend the races, even if it is not at Churchill Downs, but to watch the races and participate in the festivities.”
Delhomme appreciated the derby day last year – Set -Hut's Touchuponastar won the Evangeline Downs Classic. It was one of the seven Touchuponastar races won in 2024 on the way to be named the horse of the year in Louisiana. And it was only the beginning. In March, Touchuponastar won an upset victory in the New Orleans Classic Stakes, the first victory of the 6 -year issues.
The Delhomme bought the PONTPONASTAR for $ 15,000. The horse has had more than $ 1.4 million in career profits since then.
“It was fun,” said Delhomme seeing Touchuponastar's success. The gain of $ 1.4 million represents the most profitable stable set-hut horse, but Delhomme said they had others who had gained around $ 300,000 to $ 400,000.
Set-Hut generally keeps about 8 to 12 horses in its stable. The list is currently at 11 – some of which Delhomme have appointed according to the former NFL teammates.
There is Kalil, named Ryan Kalil, the departure center for the 2007-18 panthers. Then there is Mangum, named Kris Mangum, who was the tight end of the Panthers from 1997 to 2006 and is one of Delhomme's best friends. Mangum is a winner of several issues, although the player he was named has never seen him run in person.
“He tried a few times,” said Delhomme. “He lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. And therefore, the few times when we directed Mangum in New Orleans, it is not so far from a road for him. He tried, but something came.”
Delhomme has not yet appointed a horse after his most famous teammate – the large receiver Steve Smith Sr. – but he has a horse named X -Clown. This is the name of the play in which Delhomme connected with Smith on a touch of 69 yards on the first double extension game during the victory of the Caroline eliminatory series against the Rams of St. Louis in 2003.
“X-Clown was in a way of the name of Steve, because it is synonymous with this play for us in the history of Caroline,” said Delhomme, adding that the horse in fact reminded him of the 5-inch, 195 pound receiver. “It was a horse that was somehow linked to the muscles,” he said. “It was not the biggest horse, but just a very good athlete.”
Three weeks after this emblematic piece, in Caroline, gave Carolina his double-ot victory, Delhomme connected with Muhhin Muhammad on a touch of 85 yards in the Super Bowl XXXVIII. This record is always the longest PLSY Pass in the history of the Super Bowl.
Delhomme recently attempted to appoint an moose horse in honor of Muhammad, but the name was taken. He said the names can be recycled after 10 years, so he is waiting for the opportunity to add an moose to his stable.
Like all former professional athletes, Delhomme's competition juices fuel his second career. He puts in the work necessary to succeed, and he obtains a huge rush when he saw his horses win. Unlike his play days, however, Delhomme does not have as much direct control over action.
“I probably look at him as if I was director general,” said Delhomme. “My brother and I are those who make all sales. We are those who make the final decisions.… As when we go to a sale, it is a project. No? And I am finally responsible. I have the choice. And it is ultimately our decision where we direct these horses.
“But it's certainly a rewarding feeling. Watching a horse go down the way. Winning a race. It's great.”
Celebrating victories or deploring defeats may not be entirely the same with his horses as before with his NFL teammates, but Delhomme feels a connection with animals – and he really believes that horses know what's going on when they run.
“I promise you,” said Delhomme, “with La Toucheponastar, there was a few times when he ran second in a race. And I tell you, he is upset. I mean, he knows.
“You might think that I'm crazy, but when you are with him every day and you know their manners and everything, you can just feel it. You can feel it and you can feel them. You know, I think from the bottom of my heart.”
When Delhomme does not work in the stable, he focuses on his other passion, the Panthers. Delhomme has been doing a Caroline Games for Radio since 2019, so he remains closely linked to the team.
“I love the direction we are going to be very honest,” he said. “Listen, it has been a difficult section in the past five to six years. But I think we have stability for the first time in some time. ”
The panthers went 5-12 in the first year of Dave Canales as a chief coach. The trainer with an offensive spirit worked in close collaboration with his young quarterly, the first choice of global draft of 2023, Bryce Young, and the team has clearly become more competitive in the section. They took the chiefs of Kansas City and the Eagles of Philadelphia to the thread in narrow defeats, then won two of their last three.
“The way this team played, the way Bryce Young started playing at the end of the year, with not much to play, we were a team that continued to attach, and we improved over the year and we improved. For me, it is a sign of progress.
“I think you will see a marked improvement of this football team this year. Are we a team in playoffs to do a deep race? I am not yet sure I am there. Yes, foreign things have happened.”
It has been 16 years since Delhomme launched a pass for the panthers, but he still refers to the team like “We”.
“Yes, I had the opportunity to do national stuff,” he said. “But I am a panther from Caroline, guy. I am a panther from start to finish. I'm not saying that somewhere on the line, I wouldn't do something like that. But I like to do the radio for the panthers. I just consider myself an extension of the team.”
Although his panthers obligations did not interfere with the first Saturday in May, having a horse in Kentucky Derby is not an ultimate goal of Delhomme. The derby is only for 3 -year -old children accustomed to the churchill Downs lawn track.
“It's such a small target to reach,” said Delhomme. “My Super Bowl would have a horse race in the Breeders' Cup, which is the first Friday and Saturday in November. And this is done in different places in the United States.
“It is the best of the best 2 -year -old children, 3 -year -old children, older horses. Short, long, dirt, lawn. And they come from all over the world. The breeders' cut would be the Super Bowl for me. ”
Given that Delhomme's football career led him to the free agent not drafted to the super bowl record, there is no reason to doubt that we will see Delhomme and stable set-Hut at the Breeders' Cup of these days.
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