They’re Playing Favorites

There are two stakes races at Santa Anita today and both have heavy favorites.

Behaving Badly is the 1-5 choice on Jeff Tufts’ morning line as she tries for her third win in a row in the $100,000 Las Flores Handicap. Four races later, Moscow Burning is 7-5 as she seeks her sixth victory in eight outings on the Santa Anita turf course in the $100,000 Pro Or Con Handicap.

Trained by Bob Baffert for owners Patti and Hal Earnhardt III, Behaving Badly, a 5-year-old Pioneering mare, has established herself as one of the top sprinters in the country of either sex.

A winner of five of seven, the New York-bred comes off the first Grade I victory of her career, taking the Santa Monica Handicap by 4 1/2 lengths on Jan. 29.

The competition in the Las Flores, a Grade III at six furlongs, isn’t nearly as tough and Behaving Badly, who will break from the outside in the field of six, should dominate under Victor Espinoza.

Moscow Burning, a California-bred daughter of Moscow Ballet, will also leave from the outside in the Pro Or Con, which is run at one mile on the grass.

Race of the day: Gun Salute, who has won six of 11 on the turf, will make his first start as a 4-year-old in the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup today in Florida. Cornelio Velasquez will ride the son of Military, whose biggest victory in 2005 came in the Secretariat last Aug. 13 at Arlington Park, in the Grade I at 1 7/16 miles on the turf.

The race is the final leg of the weekly Magna Pick 5. The other races in the sequence are the $85,000 Maryland Racing Media Handicap from Laurel Park, an optional claimer at one mile at Gulfstream, a $40,000 maiden claimer for California-breds at Santa Anita and a one-mile allowance from Golden Gate Fields.

One for the road: Jazzed looked good breaking his maiden against high-priced claimers in his bow on Feb. 3 and can win today’s sixth at Gulfstream.

Exotically speaking: A pick three using Kaydara and Donna’s Doll in the eighth, Runway Lollipop, Cusco and Redmeansgo in the ninth and Gold Creek Dancer and Sudetenland in the 10th.

Winners: (previous day/meet total): 4/127. Money: (previous day/meet total): $22.80/$790.80. Total money bet: $754.