A nose separates top two

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Point Determined does things on his own sweet time. Saturday at Hollywood Park, that approach was good enough to win the $100,000 by a nose over A. P. Warrior.

Point Determined, who was second in the Santa Anita Derby and ninth in the Kentucky Derby earlier this spring, won his first stakes in the Grade 3 Affirmed Handicap.

Jockey Victor Espinoza thought Point Determined would win easily when he took the lead in early stretch. Instead, Point Determined and A. P. Warrior fought through the stretch.

"He's just a lazy horse and you have to stay on top of him," Espinoza said. "He won't do things by himself. When I went by [A.P. Warrior] by a head, I thought he'd keep going. It was so close."

Point Determined led for the first few strides before A. P. Warrior took the lead entering the first turn. Ridden by David Flores, A. P. Warrior led through early fractions of 23.92 and 46.96 seconds, holding a one-length advantage on the backstretch. Point Determined moved closer to A. P. Warrior with three-eighths of a mile remaining, racing on the outside. The two were separated by a head through much of the stretch run with Point Determined gaining an advantage in the final sixteenth.

Point Determined ($5) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.55. Arson Squad, making his first start around two turns, closed from fifth to finish third. Cause to Believe was fourth, with Record last in the field of five.

Point Determined races for the Bob and Beverly Lewis Trust and trainer Bob Baffert. A Point Given colt, Point Determined has won 3 of 8 starts and $320,330.

* Dixie Meister won the most important race of his career in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Californian Stakes.

Ridden by David Flores for trainerJulio Canani, Dixie Meister ($14) took the lead in early stretch and held off a late run from Super Frolic and That's an Outrage. Dixie Meister ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.53 and won by a length over Super Frolic. That's an Outrage was third in the field of eight.