Secret Courier back at two turns for Evangeline Mile
Secret Courier will move back to two turns Saturday night when he meets recent stakes winner Maga Man and the promising 3-year-old Rightandjust in the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Mile.
The race is for 3-year-olds and up who have never won a non-restricted stakes. Those are new conditions for the Evangeline Mile, which has a field of nine.
Secret Courier is a versatile sort, with three of his five wins coming in sprints and his other two victories around two turns. He is stretching out off a runner-up finish in a June 20 allowance at Lone Star Park. Trainer Robertino Diodoro, who last November claimed the horse on behalf of M and M Racing, likes the move back to a route Saturday.
“He’s got a big, long stride,” he said. “I think he’ll love it.”
Secret Courier rallied from last in the 6 1/2-furlong allowance last out, and was beaten a length and a quarter while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 85.
“He broke slow,” Diodoro said, “and then he looked like he was a winner down the lane and [a rival] kind of drifted, kind of herded him a little bit.”
Diodoro said there was an inquiry after the race, but no change was made to the order of finish.
“I thought it was a winning race,” said Diodoro.
Empire of Gold, who was fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, finished third in the Lone Star allowance. One race prior, Secret Courier won a mile allowance at the track by three lengths on May 30.
Tim Thornton has the mount Saturday from post 7.
Diodoro, who currently has a division of horses at Louisiana Downs, plans to have winter divisions at Delta Downs, Sam Houston Race Park, and Oaklawn Park.
Maga Man won the $70,000 Louisiana Legends Turf for Louisiana-bred horses June 5 at Evangeline Downs. In his most recent start, he was fourth in the $60,000 John Henry, an open-company stakes at Evangeline.
Kevin Smith has the mount from post 5 for trainer Steve Flint.
Rightandjust was third in the $300,000 Texas Derby in May at Lone Star. Mr. Wireless, the runner-up from the race, returned in his next start to capture the Indiana Derby.