Derby News

Photo By: Bay Meadows

Cause to Believe, who won the El Camino Real at Bay Meadows in late January, will look to repeat his winning ways in Saturday's California Derby at Golden Gate Fields

Saturday's $100,000 California Derby, the key Kentucky Derby prep of the Golden Gate Fields meet, has a favorite in Cause to Believe who is not even yet nominated to the Triple Crown. That could all change Saturday if the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee runs as expected, but if his colt encounters any kind of problems, he will in all likelihood be pointed elsewhere.

Cause to Believe has put together a nice record thus far in his career, never worse than second in eight starts. Among his five victories is a score in the El Camino Real (GIII) some six weeks ago, a race he won by a deceptively easy 3/4 of a length in which the heavily favored A.P. Warrior finished a distant fourth.

Conversely to the El Camino, Cause to Believe will be the favorite that the others in the field of seven will be trying to spring the upset. Hollendorfer has another starter in Passive Income, who actually scratched out of the El Camino Real and subsequently was second in a first level allowance race won by the highly regarded Point Determined from the Bob Baffert barn. Baffert also has two runners in here Saturday: Sinister Minister, who drew the rail, has never raced further than seven furlongs and broke his maiden for a claiming price of $62,500 at Santa Anita; and Sky Diving in post 2, the easiest of maiden winners at Bay Meadows then shipped to Arizona for the Turf Paradise Derby, where he got upset at 3-5 after a wide trip.

The Bobby Frankel trained Racketeer will take some action at the windows as well. His speed figures are actually the highest of any in the race, but he earned those going six furlongs. His breeding (a son of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Awesome Again) suggests the two turns shouldn't be an issue.

Rounding out the field are the maiden Pop Icon who has but one start to date and another southern California shipper in The Five J's. He has the most starts (11) of any in the field, but has just one win to date.

The field, in post position order, with riders:
1. Sinister Minister (Matt Garcia)
2. Sky Diving (David Flores)
3. Passive Income (C. Schvaneveldt)
4. Racketeer (Victor Espinoza)
5. Cause to Believe (Russell Baze)
6. Pop Icon (Pablo Morales)
7. The Five J's (Chance Rollins)

« Back To Derby News

Derby Info