Kentucky Derby bounce-backs Point Determined, Cause to Believe and A.P. Warrior top a field of six entered in the $100,000 Affirmed Handicap (gr. III) Saturday at Hollywood Park.
Point Determined finishing ninth, Cause to Believe 13th and A.P, Warrior 18th, in the Run for the Roses. All three are making their first racing appearances since the May 6 Derby.
Point Determined, a two-time winner who has only missed the money once in seven starts, finished second in the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) and Santa Anita Derby (gr. I). He has earned $260,330 for the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust.
Trainer Bob Baffert saddles Point Determined as well as Record, who breakes from the outside post.
Cause to Believe has won six of 11 starts while earning $390,565 for Peter Abruzzo and Peter Redekop. He earned a start in the Kentucky Derby with victories in the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) at Bay Meadows, the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields and with a third in the Illinois Derby (gr. II) for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.
A.P. Warrior, owned by Stan Fulton and trained by John Shirreffs, won the San Felipe Stakes and finished third in the Santa Anita Derby. He is three-of-nine overall for earnings of $377,185.
Record is the lone starter to enter the race following a victory. The son of
Devil His Due rallied to win the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 29.
Arson Squad, the least-experienced horse in the field, has won two of four starts. He broke his maiden in his second start on Feb. 11, then won the San Pedro Stakes before finishing third as the favorite in the Lazaro Barrera Memorial Handicap (gr. II) at Hollywood in May.
$100,000 Affirmed Handicap (gr. III, Race 4, 2:50 p.m.), 3-Year-Olds, 1 1/16 MilesPP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Cause to Believe (KY), 119, Russell A. Baze
2. Point Determined (MD), 121, Victor Espinoza
3. Arson Squad (PA), 115, Alex O. Solis
4. A. P. Warrior (KY), 120, David R. Flores
5. Shooter's Touch (KY), 112, Martin A. Pedroza
6. Record (KY), 116, Tyler Baze
