Jun Park and Delia Nash's Sibelius, who capped a three-race win streak in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) in March, is being pointed to a return to where it all began in the $125,000 Mr. Prospector (G3) Dec. 23 at Gulfstream Park.
“That's the target right now,” trainer Jerry O'Dwyer said of the 5-year-old Sibelius, who has posted four timed works since mid-November on the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.
In his most recent, Sibelius went five furlongs in 1:01.90 Dec. 3, second-fastest of six horses on the day.
“We brought him back down here a couple months back, six weeks anyway, gave him a bit of a freshening and put him back on the work tab,” O'Dwyer said. “I'm pretty happy with him. He's doing well. He's been breezing away and we're going to aim him for the Mr. Prospector.”
Sibelius, a gelded son of Not This Time, became a stakes winner last fall in the Lite the Fuse at Pimlico Race Course, then ran fourth in the Phoenix (G2) at Keeneland and second in the Bet on Sunshine at Churchill Downs before his 2 ¼-length triumph in the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector over subsequent Grade 3 winner Dean Delivers.
“He kind of announced himself in the race last year and then he kept peaking after that, that's for sure,” O'Dwyer said. “We're hoping we can do the same. Like any horse, you're learning from him as much as they're learning from you. If we can get him to peak at the right time again, we'll be more than happy.”
Sibelius kicked off 2023 with a stakes-record victory in the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs before heading overseas for the Golden Shaheen. Sibelius and jockey Ryan Moore rallied up the rail to move past leaders Hopkins and Gunite in the stretch and hold off defending champion Switzerland to win by a nose. It was the third graded win for O'Dwyer, who also won the 2019 Remsen (G2) with Shotski.
Since the Golden Shaheen Sibelius has raced three times, finishing fourth in the June 30 Aristides, seventh in the July 29 Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar and fifth in his return to the Phoenix Oct. 6, where he was beaten six lengths by subsequent Cigar Mile (G2) winner Hoist the Gold.
“He's a very straightforward horse,” O'Dwyer said. “We're going to try to repeat what we did last year by going to the Mr. Prospector and then probably to Tampa and then hopefully back to Dubai, where he flourished. Those are the three spots we have picked out right now.”
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