Mr. Commons will switch to dirt in 2012, and his next race could be the Grade 2 Strub Stakes
It’s hard to tell if, Mr. Commons, had more success on turf surface or dirt, and with six starts on turf and just 3 on dirt gives an indication that John Shirreffs trained 3-year-old colt enjoys his time over the turf surface, especially the Santa Anita
turf track where he is exiting off a victory in the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes on 26 December, 2011.
This year Mr. Commons have run majority of his races being a 3-year-old and after breaking his maiden on turf, Mr. Commons switched to dirt immediately and on Santa Anita he won an allowance test over the dirt track at about 1 mile on 26 February, 2011.
He then stayed at Santa Anita to participate in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on 9 April, 2011, where he finished third to winner Midnight Interlude over a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
The Kentucky bred son of Artie Schiller, out of mare Joustabout by Apalachee, Mr. Commons had his share of the Triple Crown when he got pointed toward the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on 21 May, 2011, where he finished an uncharacteristic eighth to
winner Shackleford on dirt over a distance of 1 3/16 miles.
After 5 consecutive starts on dirt, conditioner John Shirreffs thinks that it is time for Mr. Commons to go back on dirt, and his next start would be in the Grade 2 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita Park on 4 February, 2012, over a distance of 1 1/8miles on dirt,
a race which will be exclusive for 4-year-old males.
“You pick races all through the year and hopefully they work out,” Shirreffs said. “We get to experiment. It depends on when the races are and the timing.”
Prior to the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes, Mr. Commons ran in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf at Churchill Downs and finished fifth.
“The Breeders’ Cup didn’t set him back,” Shirreffs said. “He came back, and it was no big deal. He handled the trip, the big field, and getting bounced around like it was another day.”
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