Santa Monica J

There's plenty of early speed in Sunday's Santa Monica H. (G1). A classy

group of nine will contest the seven-furlong event, and we'll give the nod to

the Grade 1-winning SHARP LISA (Dixieland Band).

Winner of the Las Virgenes S. (G1) and Santa Ynez S. (G2) at Santa Anita last

year, Sharp Lisa raced only once more, in April's Fantasy S. (G2), before heading

to the sidelines for trainer Doug O'Neill. She didn't resurface until the La

Brea S. (G1) on New Year's Eve and broke last from the rail. Her nightmare trip

continued down the backstretch, but Sharp Lisa finally found her stride on the

far turn and rallied well for fourth. It served as an excellent tightener for

the chestnut filly, and Sharp Lisa drilled four furlongs in a bullet :47

(fastest of 33 at the distance) in preparation for this start. She likes the

track and distance and is much better drawn on the outside Sunday. We'll look

for her to stalk and pounce for the win.

LEAVE ME ALONE (Bold Badgett) tailed off last fall with a dull showing at

Keeneland, but the Eric Kruljac-trained chestnut rebounded with an excellent

showing in the La Brea, finishing second and earning a 104 BRIS Speed rating.

The four-year-old has worked well since then at Santa Anita and looks like a

major factor in her first test against older rivals. Leave Me Alone likes the

track (4-2-2-0) and her best career performance, a 7 3/4-length score in the

Test S. (G1), came at seven furlongs. She'll be tough to handle.

NOSSA CANCAO (Brz) (Fast Gold) offers some appeal for the exotics at long

odds. The six-year-old mare enters on the upswing for conditioner A.C. Avila,

winning two straight sprints at seven furlongs, including a five-length win at

Santa Anita, last fall before a route attempt two starts back which we can throw

out. In her last start, she hooked a good one in Western Hemisphere (General

Meeting) and finished a respectable third. Nossa Cancao earned a 101 Speed

rating last time and her numbers have been increasing. She could come charging

from far off the pace for part.

BEHAVING BADLY (Pioneering) looks like the speed of the speed and looms as a

wire-to-wire threat. The Bob Baffert trainee made her Santa Anita debut last

time with an impressive allowance win over ALPHABET KISSES (Alphabet Soup), receiving a 112 Speed rating,

and she's still lightly raced. We wouldn't be surprised to keep seeing more from

the five-year-old mare and would recommend using her on some gimmicks.

MISS TERRIBLE (Arg) (Numerous) merits serious consideration for the top

three. Extremely versatile, the seven-year-old mare won a Grade 3 at six

furlongs on the main track and a Grade 3 turf event around two turns last year.

She's one for one at Santa Anita and could offer a challenge from just off the

pace under Garrett Gomez.

Alphabet Kisses will show speed from her rail post but will face serious

pressure to her outside. Jockey Pat Valenzuela could get her to the front first

and last a long time with the Grade 1-winning mare, but she hasn't displayed encouraging form in her last two outings. Winner of the

2004 La Brea the last time she went seven furlongs at Santa Anita, the Martin

Jones charge remains a dangerous player with her back class, but we'll try to

beat her at expected short odds.

AWESOME LADY (Bianconi) is a hard-knocking sort who may not be overwhelmed by

the class hike. She owns three wins over the track, but this will be her first

attempt at seven panels. REFOREST (Forestry) will be making her first appearance

in nearly 17 months and might need a race before tackling these rivals.

ALLSWELLTHATNSWELL (Perfect Mandate) doesn't look good enough to challenge at

this level.