Preakness Stakes 2011 Contenders: Mr. Commons Looks To Surprise At Pimlico

If there was a word to describe Mr. Commons at this point in his career, it would probably be unknown. While we did get a good glimpse at the thoroughbred during the Santa Anita Derby, where he finished 3rd behind Midnight Interlude and Comma to the Top, he hasn't run since after skipping the Kentucky Derby over heading to Churchill Downs and hoping enough horses would drop-out to get a shot. But Mr. Commons is back and should be ready to go at Pimlico in the Preakness Stakes.

Before the Santa Anita Derby, Matt Gardner profiled Mr. Commons and looked at his pedigree, noting the grass-heavy lineage he comes from.

A son of Artie Schiller (a colt that did his best running on grass during his impressive career), Mr. Commons broke his maiden in a downhill turf event at Santa Anita back on Jan. 15.  Following that race, trainer John Shirreffs wheeled him back into to action in an allowance event on the main track in late February and he responded with a solid victory in his first try at two-turns.  Trying to predict how this colt will perform on the dirt is a bit of a crap shoot since his pedigree, top and bottom, is all turf.

He did show well at the Santa Anita Derby, hugging the rail down the stretch and finishing just over two lengths behind Midnight Interlude. The field, however, was a weak one after Premier Pegasus and Jaycito both scratched in the days leading up to the race. Can we take Mr. Commons' finish as an encouraging sign or will it lead to inflated hope?

The 2011 Preakness Stakes gets underway on May 21 at Pimlico. Stay with our Preakness Stakes StoryStream for more on the race. To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Derby and Preakness fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.