Trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer said that last-out Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Sibelius will be entered in Saturday's $225,000 Aristides, a listed six-furlong sprint for older horses at Churchill Downs, but will keep tabs on the $250,000 True North (G2) on June 10 at Belmont as a backup option.
“He's stabled here at Keeneland and [the Aristides is] only up the road [at Churchill Downs]. We'll have a look at the race and see what post position we get and how the race is shaping up,” O'Dwyer said. “If we like what we've got we'll run him there, but we'll still keep the True North in mind.”
Owned by Jun Park and Delia Nash, the 5-year-old Not This Time gelding is a perfect 2-for-2 this year, taking the Pelican in February at Tampa Bay Downs ahead of a rallying nose score over Switzerland in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
O'Dwyer, who was aboard Sibelius for a half-mile breeze in :50 flat on Saturday at Keeneland, said the chestnut is thriving since returning from overseas.
“He's done great. We gave him some time off and let him relax and put all his weight back on,” O'Dwyer said. “We jogged him at Keeneland for a week and he was jumping out of his skin, so he went back to galloping. He's had three breezes since and his fitness level is good and his energy level is good. He's bright, happy and content. That's all we want. Happy horses run for you and he seems pretty happy right now.”
O'Dwyer said he was pleased with the Saturday work.
“He's a fun horse to ride. I just wanted a smooth, relaxed breeze. If you put certain riders on him, he'll roll in :46 every time on the bridle if you let him,” O'Dwyer said. “I let him have a nice gallop out and get a bit of air in his lungs. We know he's a very fast horse, but we wanted to make sure that foundation is still underneath him.”
Sibelius boasts a record of 7-3-3 from 19 career starts and purse earnings in excess of $1.6 million, and O'Dwyer said the gelding's form has improved not only with the addition of blinkers last spring here, but also through maturity.
“He was a bit shy. A bit insecure, I guess. We put the blinkers on him and they helped him and racing helped him,” O'Dwyer said. “He started getting more mature and more confident. He took a few good races before the penny dropped on what he was going to be. He just needed that racing experience to mature into the horse he is right now.”
Sibelius posted impressive Beyer Speed Figures last year through wins in the Lite the Fuse [106] at Pimlico and Mr. Prospector [96] at Gulfstream Park while racing forwardly, but he found a new dimension under Ryan Moore last out in Dubai.
“He missed the break and sat in behind a bunch of horses and he went down the inside,” O'Dwyer said. “Before that, I'd be telling you he'd need to be on the lead or close to the front and in the clear to run his best race. But that's one thing about horses, you can say one thing and they'll do another. They always keep you guessing.”
Bred in Kentucky by Taylor Brothers Properties, Pollock Farms and Patrick H. Payne et al., Sibelius is out of the Pulpit mare Fiery Pulpit, who is a half sister to graded stakes winner Clamorosa.
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