Shastaloo dangerous on sprint-to-route move in Spotted Horse Stakes

Shastaloo ran one of the best races of her career going from a sprint to a route, and on Friday night she will be making the same move when she runs in the $50,000 Spotted Horse at Evangeline Downs.

The one-mile race is for fillies and mares who have never won a nonrestricted stakes.

Shastaloo will start as one of the top choices in the field of seven, which includes Quikfast N Ahurry, winner of the Louisiana Premier Night Distaff in February at Delta Downs, and Champagne Affair, who was third in the Opelousas Stakes in July at Evangeline.

Shastaloo enters the Spotted Horse off a runner-up finish in an allowance sprint for fillies and mares who had never won three races. She rallied from last in the 6 1/2-furlong race July 9 at Lone Star Park, and with more ground Friday figures to sit closer to the front. She breaks from post 4 under Timothy Thornton.

“I don’t think she’ll be very far off the pace at all,” said trainer Robertino Diodoro.

Shastaloo won her maiden by 11 1/2 lengths on the front end going a mile in March at Oaklawn, one start after running third in a maiden sprint at Turfway. The 3-year-old Shastaloo deafeated older rivals in an allowance sprint for horses who had never won two races in June at Lone Star.

“I think she might like to sprint a little better, but she’ll do both,” said Diodoro, who trains Shastaloo for M and M Racing.

“We just really couldn’t find the right spot for her, and had our eye on this one.”

The start will be the first at Evangeline for Shastaloo.

“That’s a question, but she seems like she’s not too finicky of a filly,” said Diodoro.

Quikfast N Ahurry is a two-time winner over the main track at Evangeline. She enters off a runner-up finish in the $70,000 Louisiana Legends Distaff on June 5 at Evangeline. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 75, the same last-race number as Shastaloo.

Kevin Smith has the mount on the late-running Quikfast N Ahurry from post 3 for trainer Steve Flint.

Champagne Affair was second in an off-the-turf allowance in her most recent start July 30 at Evangeline. She was third at Evangeline July 2 in the $60,000 Opelousas, her first race on the grass. Champagne Affair is a four-time winner on dirt.

Pedro Cotto Jr. has the mount from post 6 for trainer Juan Larrosa.