Behaving Badly Is Looking Good

Talent runs deep in the sprint division in trainer Bob Baffert’s barn.

Baffert, who is atop the standings with 17 winners through the first 26 days of the winter-spring season at Santa Anita, has three top-quality sprinters in Too Much Bling, Da Stoops and Behaving Badly.

Following in the footsteps of her male stablemates, Behaving Badly became a stakes winner at the meet, easily triumphing in the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap on Sunday.

Behaving Badly’s fifth win in seven starts was more important than any of the three stakes wins Too Much Bling and Da Stoops already had managed. The Santa Monica is a Grade I and enhances the value of the 5-year-old New York-bred daughter of Pioneering.

In her first start in a Grade I, Behaving Badly, who is owned by Hal and Patti Earnhardt III, quickly established a clear lead under jockey Victor Espinoza and was never menaced. Running beyond 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time, the 13-10 favorite completed the seven-eighths of a mile in 1:21.93 while prevailing by 4 1/2 lengths.

“When I saw [22.14 seconds] for the opening quarter, I knew we were OK,” Baffert said after his sixth stakes win locally, also a meet high.

“I told Victor to let her drag you to the lead. I’m just glad she ran today like she has been working.”

Perhaps Espinoza is the key for Behaving Badly. The rider, who had never won the Santa Monica previously, is four for four on the bay mare.

Miss Terrible, a 10-1 shot, finished second in her first race since Oct. 16, and Leave Me Alone, the 2-1 second choice and already a Grade I winner thanks to her 7 3/4 -length victory in the Test on Aug. 6 at Saratoga, was third.

“I’m just a little disappointed,” said Eric Kruljac, Leave Me Alone’s trainer. “I wanted her to move forward, and I think she regressed a little bit. It might have been a little quick coming back for a second race off a layoff.”

Leave Me Alone has now lost four in a row since her Test score. The California-bred had been second in the La Brea Stakes on Dec. 31, losing by nearly six lengths to the Baffert-trained Pussycat Doll.

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There appears to be a new queen of Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Cambiocorsa upset heavily-favored Elusive Diva and six others to win the $96,800 Wishing Well Handicap on Sunday in Arcadia. It was the fourth win in as many starts at the distance of about 6 1/2 furlongs for the 4-year-old Avenue Of Flags filly.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for Leroy and Ty Leatherman Racing LLC and ridden by Aaron Gryder, Cambiocorsa, the 7-2 second choice, ran the distance in 1:12.42 for her second win in a week. She had won an allowance race by 1 3/4 lengths Jan. 22.

Elusive Diva, the 1-2 favorite, finished third, hampered by somewhat of a slow start. It was the first loss in four starts at the distance for the 5-year-old Elusive Quality mare.

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Cause To Believe, the 5-2 second choice, won for the fifth time in seven starts, defeating 11-1 shot Objective and four others in the $250,000 El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows.

Ridden by Russell Baze, the 3-year-old Maria’s Mon colt completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.81. He is owned by Peter Redekop and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.