Artie Schiller’s 3-year-old son Mr. Commons made a bold four-wide move coming into the stretch en route to a dominating 1 1/2-length victory in the $112,100 Oceanside S. on opening day at Del Mar. The Thoroughbred Daily News heralded this victory by proclaiming “Mr. Commons exudes class” in the feature story headline.
Mr. Commons is one of eight stakes horses, three stakes winners, by Artie Schiller, who ranks among the top 10 sophomore sires at stud in Kentucky.
Mr. Commons settled near the back of the pack early in the one mile Oceanside. He inched his way steadily forward down the backstretch, then launched a bid in earnest going into the final turn. He struck the front with about 3/16ths of a mile to run to finish full of energy. The final time on the firm turf was 1:34.96.
The Oceanside was the first start on the grass for Mr. Commons since he broke his maiden in January. In the interim, he finished third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1).
“He’s a very versatile horse,” winning trainer John Shirreffs said. “He can run well on dirt. But he’s outstanding on turf. It made sense to get him back on something we know he likes.”
With the $67,260 payday, Mr. Commons has now bankrolled $253,660 for Ian Banwell, who campaigns the bay colt in the nom de course St. George Farm Racing LLC.
