Mr. Commons to take on Jeranimo and Crown of Thorns in the Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita Park
The 3-year-old John Shirreffs trained colt, Mr. Commons, faces another big test, and has been running in tough races throughout this season, from the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby to the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, and recently in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Handicap,
and has been out of luck in all these three races and in between.
The most recent display of the unlucky runner was in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Handicap, as he comes off a second place finish in the race, which some think he should have won.
The son of Artie Schiller, out of Joustabout by Apalachee, Mr. Commons who lost the Del Mar Mile Handicap by a nose bob to Caracortado, as the 3-year-old colt got nipped in the final jump of his first meeting with the elders.
The St George Farm Racing owned Mr. Commons was coming off a win from the Del Mar’s Oceanside Stakes which he won by 1 ½ length over Burns, and covered the distance of a mile in 1 minute and 34.96 seconds on turf.
Mr. Commons was coming into the Oceanside Stakes after two months down time from the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes where he finished a dull eighth.
Now, Mr. Commons is ready to shake off the Del Mar Mile Handicap blues to aim high in the Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile on 8 October, 2011, at the Santa Anita Park.
There he will the hard hitting turfer 5-year-old horse Jeranimo, who is coming off a eighth place finish in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic over at 1 ¼ mile over the Del Mar’s Poly Track.
However, he did turn in a second place finish in his previous start on grass, in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes at about 1 1/8 mile also at Del Mar on 23 July.
Another tough competitor would be Crown of Thorns, who was the third place finisher in the Grade 1 Pat O’Brien Handicap behind Camp Victory and the winner The Factor at seven furlongs also at Del Mar.
Mr. Commons has won 3 out of his 7 starts and at the moment his earnings stand at $293,660.
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