Field of nine in Las Virgenes Stakes

Winners of the Las Virgenes Stakes, a race for 3-year-old fillies, have gone on to win the Santa Anita Oaks five times in the last seven years.

Surfside in 2000, Golden Ballet in 2001, You in 2002, Composure in 2003 and Balance in 2006 all won both of the Grade I races.

Today, nine fillies will try to take the first step in the $250,000 Las Virgenes.

The one-mile race is one of two Grade I events on the card. Two races earlier, eight older fillies and mares will get together in the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap at 1 1/16 miles.

The 122-pound high weight in the Las Virgenes is Romance Is Diane, a California-bred daughter of In Excess who has won three in a row for owner Senji Nishimura and trainer Mike Mitchell.

Well beaten in her sprint debut last July 29 at Del Mar when trained by Doug O’Neill, Romance Is Diane is unbeaten around two turns. She defeated state-breds in her first two wins, then stepped into open and Grade I company and won the Hollywood Starlet at 14-1 last Dec. 17 at Hollywood Park. She will be ridden by David Flores, who has never won the Las Virgenes.

The race will also feature the return of Cash Included, the upset winner of last fall’s Oak Leaf over this main track. Owned by Paul Reddam and trained by Craig Dollase, the Include filly has been away since finishing fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in November.

In the Santa Maria, trainer Ronny Werner will try to win a stakes with his first Santa Anita starter as he sends out Ermine. A 4-year-old Exchange Rate filly owned by Oxbow Racing LLC, she has been sidelined since winning the Falls City Handicap last November at Churchill Downs. A winner of four of 10, Ermine defeated Joint Effort that day. Joint Effort shipped here last month and easily won the Sunshine Millions Distaff.

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Circular Quay, a Grade I winner as a 2-year-old, will make his first start since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the $300,000 Risen Star today at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Owned by breeders Michael and Doreen Tabor and trained by Todd Pletcher, whose 45-day suspension has expired, the Thunder Gulch colt is one of 13 scheduled to run in the 1 1/16 -mile race that serves as a prep for the Louisiana Derby.

John Velazquez will ride Circular Quay, who won the Hopeful last September at Saratoga, for the first time against a field that includes Remsen runner-up Zanjero and California shipper Notional.

A son of In Excess owned by Reddam and trained by O’Neill, Notional will be making his first start outside his home state after winning the San Rafael on Jan. 13 at Santa Anita. Robby Albarado will ride.

The Risen Star is one of four Grade III races today at the Fair Grounds. The others are the $200,000 Mineshaft at 1 1/16 miles, the $200,000 Fairgrounds Breeders’ Cup Handicap at about 1 1/8 miles on turf and the $200,000 Silverbulletday for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

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Jockey Alex Solis will begin a three-day suspension Sunday for an incident during the fourth race Feb. 3. Solis was cited by Santa Anita stewards Scott Chaney, Albert Christiansen and Tom Ward for “failure to make the proper effort to maintain a straight course in the stretch” while riding Kalookan Dancer, who was disqualified from second and placed fourth.

Another rider, Aaron Gryder, has dropped an appeal of a previous ruling and will begin serving a three-day suspension Wednesday.

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Cambiocorsa, the Santa Anita hillside turf specialist who was recently retired, is going to be bred to 2004 horse of the year Ghostzapper in Kentucky.

Owned by Lee and Ty Leatherman and Ran Jan Racing and trained by O’Neill, Cambiocorsa, a 5-year-old Avenue of Flags mare, finished her career with nine wins in 18 starts and earnings of $522,055. In what turned out to be her final start, Cambiocorsa finished seventh in the Monrovia Handicap on New Year’s Day.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com