Romance Is Diane easily wins Bayakoa

Four weeks after going wire to wire against California breds at Santa Anita, Romance Is Diane did it again in the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

In defeating a field that included fellow graded stakes winners Sugar Shake and Tough Tiz’s Sis, the 3-year-old In Excess filly won the Grade II in record time.

Ridden by Michael Baze for owner Senji Nishimura and trainer Mike Mitchell, Romance Is Diane, the 5-2 third choice in a field reduced to five starters after Lavender Sky and Sohgol were scratched, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1 minute 40.90 seconds. The time eclipsed the Cushion track mark of 1:41.27 set a week earlier by Curiously Sweet.

“Mike’s a great trainer and did everything to get her ready for this,” Baze said. “Even though she was going fast -- 22.82 for a quarter mile and 45.39 for the half mile -- she was just cruising down the backside. I was trying not to fight her because she wanted to go.”

Tough Tiz’s Sis, who won the Hollywood Breeders’ Cup Oaks over the surface earlier in the year, was second, one length back. Fonce De was third. Sugar Shake, the 8-5 favorite who was looking for her fourth win of 2007, finished last.

Trainer Vladimir Cerin was fined $7,500 and put on probation through Aug. 31, 2008, in a stipulated agreement with the California Horse Racing Board because a couple of his horses tested positive during the 2006 meet at Fairplex Park.

Off The Richter, who competed in the fifth race Sept. 10, and North Fleet Street, who ran in the 12th on Sept. 25, tested positive for norpseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, which are found in herbal products containing ephedra and in several over-the-counter products for both human and horse respiratory conditions.

Cerin was also given a 15-day suspension, which was stayed provided he has no further medication violations during the term of his probation.

Jockey Manoel Cruz won two of the four stakes on the card at Calder, taking the $100,000 My Charmer with J’ray and the $100,000 What A Pleasure with Check It Twice.

The other races were won by Indy’s Alexandra, who easily beat four outclassed opponents in the $100,000 Three Rings to remain perfect in three starts under jockey Elvis Trujillo, and Ballast, who was ridden to victory by Kent Desormeaux in the $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap.

Somethinaboutlaura surpassed $1 million in career earnings by winning the $75,000 Pacific Heights at Golden Gate Fields.

Owned by a partnership that includes trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, the 5-year-old Dance Floor mare, who was ridden by Russell Baze, now has 17 wins in 30 starts and has earned $1,008,865.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com