The Mid-Atlantic spotlight turns to Colonial Downs on Saturday for the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes, a seven-furlong test restricted to 3-year-old fillies bred or sired in Maryland or Virginia. A deep and competitive field of eight is lined up, featuring proven stakes performers, talented up-and-comers, and horses with strong local connections.

The Miss Disco, like the Star de Naskra which goes as race nine, is part of an agreement among racing and breeding interests in Maryland and Virginia. Formerly Maryland-restricted stakes will, through this coming March, be open to Virginia-bred and -sired runners as well, and Virginia interests will put up a significant share of the money.

The first races of the new program took place in June at Laurel Park, with Maryland-breds winning both the Ben’s Cat and Jameela Stakes.

In the Miss Disco, morning-line favorite Mila Candy (5-2), a Virginia-bred by Twirling Candy, draws post 4 off a solid fifth-place finish in a tough edition of the Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga. Trained and owned by Ilkay Kantarmaci, she broke her maiden at Aqueduct in May and may benefit from the class relief in this regional restricted stakes.

Another prominent contender is Conquerthosewecan (post 1, 3-1), a homebred for Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds trained by Brittany Russell. The Bernardini filly enters in sharp form, having dug in gamely to win a Laurel Park allowance on June 21. Her half-siblings includes stakes winner Victory Rally and the stakes-placed Charmed Victory. Brittany Russell’s husband Sheldon Russell will ride.

Russell also sends out Grayson’s Girl (post 6, 9-2), a consistent gray daughter of Gift Box who’s been in good form with four straight in-the-money finishes. She just missed by a nose in the same June 21 race won by Conquerthosewecan, and stretching out an extra furlong could be key to unlocking her best.

Winfinity (post 5, 4-1) could be a player. She made a splash at Colonial last summer when she captured the $142,000 Keswick Stakes in her debut. The $300,000 Not This Time filly is coming off a distant fifth in a salty Churchill allowance but returns to state-restricted company where she has already excelled.

From the Michael Gorham barn, Moon Cache (post 2, 15-1) returns to a more realistic level after a tough Grade 2 assignment in the Black-Eyed Susan. A former $40,000 claim turned stakes winner, she won the Beyond the Wire and finished third in the Weber City Miss, proving she can hang with quality company when in the right spot.

Trainer Jose Corrales has two entered, including Safe Trust (post 7, 12-1), a five-time stakes-placed filly who was third behind Winfinity in last year’s Keswick. She didn’t take to the turf last out, but she has the back class to be a factor. Stablemate Shkhara Fire (post 3, 20-1) enters off a gutsy allowance win at Laurel, where she overcame a bad break to rally wide and get up late. She brings experience with 17 starts and a win in last year’s Maryland Million Lassie.

Rounding out the field is Green Eyed Monster (post 8, 5-1), who has been in good form for trainer John Robb. She was a solid second in a $40,000 claimer last out but previously captured a state-restricted allowance at Colonial in March. Her familiarity with the surface could prove valuable on race day.

MISS DISCO STAKES ENTRIES