Mr. Commons on target for Sir Beaufort
Mr. Commons, fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, remains on schedule for the $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes over a mile on turf for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
“He’s been strong, strong, strong,” trainer John Shirreffs said Wednesday.
While Mr. Commons has thrived on turf in recent months, winning the Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar in July and finishing second in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile in August and Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita in October, he could switch surfaces in early 2012.
Shirreffs said there is a possibility that Mr. Commons could race on the Santa Anita dirt track in the Strub series for 4-year-olds of 2012, possibly in the $200,000 Strub Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 4.
“I think we will experiment,” Shirreffs said.
The Sir Beaufort field is expected to include Venomous, who was second in the Oak Tree Derby in October; and Pathfork, who won the Group 1 National Stakes in Ireland in 2010 but was seventh behind Frankel in the English 2000 Guineas in May, his only start this year.
Pathfork recently joined trainer John Sadler’s stable at Santa Anita.
Trainers Martinez, Pender fined $1,000 each
Trainers Silverio Martinez and Mike Pender have been fined $1,000 each for failing to report that horses they trained had been gelded, according to recent rulings issued by Hollywood Park stewards.
Martinez was cited for failing to note that Es Luna was racing as a gelding for the first time for the fifth race at Hollywood Park on Nov. 20. The public was notified of the change approximately 20 minutes before post time. Es Luna won a maiden claimer for 2-year-olds and paid $58.60.
Pender was cited for failing to report that Oneinamillionyou was racing as a gelding in the eighth race at Santa Anita on Oct. 28. Oneinamillionyou finished seventh in a maiden claimer.
◗ The HRTV telecasts of racing from Santa Anita will be simulcast on the Southern California independent station KVMD on a Friday-through-Sunday basis during the upcoming winter-spring meeting that runs from Dec. 26 through April 22. Racing will be presented from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and on opening day, Monday, Dec. 26.