ARCADIA, Calif. - Cash or cachet? That was the choice facing the connections of Peace Rules and Southern Image. They chose to follow the money. There are one million reasons why these two Grade 1 winners are running in a restricted stakes like Saturday's Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita, as opposed to awaiting a more prestigious stakes like the Strub Stakes on Feb. 7.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Shake You Down and Valid Video, who first met three months ago in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, renew acquaintances on Saturday and take on five seemingly overmatched rivals in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint at Gulfstream Park.

Shake You Down finished a game third despite breaking slowly and setting a contested pace in the Breeders' Cup. Valid Video was never a factor on Breeders' Cup Day, finishing 13th and coming out of the race with an injured stifle.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Even after shipping cross-country, Smok'n Frolic was the favorite in and decisive winner of the inaugural Sunshine Millions Distaff last year at Santa Anita.

This year, Smok'n Frolic gets to stay home to defend her championship in the $500,000 Distaff, but even though she figures to run another big race, she might not be the favorite.

The obvious reason is the competition seems much stronger than last year.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Valentine Dancer seems to thrive on racing. Last year, she made 14 starts, won five races, and earned $312,846 throughout Southern California.

At the end of the season, she was in top form, winning the Ramser and Cat's Cradle handicaps and finishing third in the California Cup Distance Handicap.

On Saturday, Valentine Dancer is one of the top California-breds entered in the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf for Cal-breds and Florida-breds at Santa Anita.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - One of the original premises of the Sunshine Millions focused on a scoring competition between Florida-breds and California-breds. But after just a few races in the 2003 inaugural, it became painfully obvious that Florida-breds held an overwhelming advantage, in numbers as well as performance.

Florida won last year by the lopsided score of 56-16 (based on a 5-3-1 system for firsts, seconds, and thirds), with the only win by a California-bred coming in the Turf, where Adminniestrator prevailed by a nose over Florida-bred Music's Storm.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - He drew a bad post, is racing at the wrong distance, and hasn't started in 10 months. Man From Wicklow may still be the horse to beat in Saturday's $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park.

Man From Wicklow will break from post 12 in the 1 1/8-mile Turf. A long-distance specialist, Man From Wicklow will be turning back to nine furlongs for the first time since June 2001. He is making his first start since coming out of Keeneland's Elkhorn Stakes last April 23 with strained ligaments.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A late-season revival in 2003 gave Super High another year on the racetrack. Already, the decision has been profitable.

A California-bred, Super High won the $100,000 Work the Crowd Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 3. Saturday, Super High tries for the richest victory of her career when she faces 10 California-breds and Florida-breds in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Don'tsellmeshort is the horse that speed figures forgot. He has won half his eight starts and has captured three stakes races, all while only once earning a Beyer Speed Figure higher than 77. On pure numbers, he is a strict bet-against in Saturday's $250,000 Sunshine Millions Dash at Santa Anita. But to go against him has proven to be a risky proposition. He just wins, baby.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Patrick Valenzuela, the top jockey in Southern California last year, hired former jockey Corey Black as his agent Thursday morning and then took off his mounts after twisting his ankle when he slipped on a mat as he left his house.

In a telephone interview, Valenzuela said he planned to return to riding at Santa Anita on Friday, when he was booked on three mounts. Saturday, he has eight mounts, including all four of the Sunshine Millions stakes here.

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Larry Ross thought the competition in Sunday's Grade 1, $250,000 Santa Monica at Santa Anita was too tough, so he will run instead his star mare Ema Bovary in Saturday's $60,000-added Orinda Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.

Ross admitted it was initially a tough decision, but after Island Fashion scratched from last Sunday's El Encino to await the Santa Monica, "it made that race less attractive," he said. "I was also a little surprised at the weights. Sightseek got 122, Island Fashion 120, Got Koko 119, and Ema 117."