Cash Included, Romance Is Diane highlight deep Las Virgenes

Saturday's $250,000 Las Virgenes S. (G1) has attracted the cream of the

three-year-old filly division on the West Coast. Grade 1 winners CASH INCLUDED

(Include) and ROMANCE IS DIANE (In Excess [Ire]) highlight the nine-horse field,

but both will encounter tough competition as they make their first 2007 start in

the one-mile event.

Santa Ynez S. (G2) winner JUMP ON IN (Jump Start) and

runner-up QUICK LITTLE MISS (Freud) are present, as well as Santa Ysabel S. (G3)

victress BARONESS THATCHER (Johannesburg) and runner-up RUNWAY ROSIE (Include). RAGS TO RICHES (A.P.

Indy), a smashing six-length maiden scorer for Michael McCarthy last out, adds

further intrigue to the mix, and the unbeaten SWISS DIVA (Swiss Yodeler) will

step up to face open rivals following

her excellent 8 1/2-length score in the California Breeders' Championship S.

Cash Included broke her maiden at Del Mar last September before recording an

impressive 4 3/4-length score in the Oak Leaf Breeders' Cup S. (G1). Sent off

the 5-2 second choice in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), she concluded

her juvenile campaign with a fifth-place showing. Regular rider Corey Nakatani

will be up on the Craig Dollase trainee. Multiple stakes queen Romance Is Diane

posted a pair of authoritative victories over California-bred rivals last fall

before taking the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) by a length last out. David Flores will

retain the mount for trainer Mike Mitchell.

Baroness Thatcher, who captured the January 6 Santa Ysabel for conditioner

Patrick Biancone last time, drew the rail with Victor Espinoza. To their outside

are Swiss Diva and Agapito Delgadillo; Runway Rosie, Richard Migliore; Turf

Paradise stakes winner SLEW O' PLATINUM (Stephen Got Even), Eddie Castro; Cash

Included; Jump On In, Kent Desormeaux; Romance Is Diane; Quick Little Miss, Jon

Court; and Rags to Riches, Garrett Gomez.

Romance Is Diane will carry 122 pounds, and Slew O' Platinum and Rags to

Riches both tote 116. The rest have 120.

The $250,000 Santa Maria H. (G1) will also be offered on Saturday at Santa

Anita, and eight distaffers will contest the 1 1/16-mile event on the main

track. El Encino S. (G2) winner SUGAR SHAKE (Awesome Again) will share 115-pound

top weight duties with Grade 2 winners ERMINE (Exchange Rate) and SEAFREE (Chief

Seattle) as well as Chilean Group 3 victress DONA AMELIA (Chi) (Big Blue).

The Bobby Frankel-trained Sugar Shake broke through with her first graded

victory in the El Encino last out, and Flores will return in the saddle aboard

the front-running filly. Ermine, who finished second in the 2006 Kentucky Oaks

(G1) and concluded her sophomore campaign with a game win over older rivals in

the Falls City H. (G2), has shipped west from the Fair Grounds for conditioner

Ronny Werner. Seafree easily captured last year's La Canada S. (G2) but went to

the sidelines following a third in the Santa Margarita Invitational H. (G1) last

March. She returned to action with a good third last out in October's Pine Tree

Lane S. at Oak Tree.

Torrey Pines S. victress POLITICAL WEB (Petionville) and Paseana H. winner

RIVER SAVAGE (Brz) (First American) both rate consideration in the well-matched

field, and the New York-based RAHYS' APPEAL (Rahy) is an intriguing entrant. The

Tom Bush-trained mare finished first (but was disqualified to second) in the Top

Flight H. (G2) on the dirt at Aqueduct two back and exits a runner-up effort in

the grassy San Gorgonio H. (G2) at Santa Anita.

In post order, the Santa Maria runners are Sugar Shake; Dona Amelia, Jose Valdivia

Jr.; Seafree, Espinoza; FREAKIN STREAKIN

(Tactical Advantage), Gomez, 112; Ermine, Castro; River Savage, Omar Berrio,

114; Political Web, Martin Pedroza, 111; and Rahys' Appeal, Aaron Gryder, 114.