On the undercard of Saturday's Festival Preview Day at Tampa Bay Downs, 5-year-old gelding Sibelius won the 39th edition of the $100,000 Pelican Stakes in stakes-record time of 1:08.75 (.08 seconds off the track record) for the six-furlong distance. After the victory, winning trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer danced an impromptu waltz with his 2-year-old daughter Adelaide in the Oldsmar, Fla. winner's circle.
Sibelius's performance under jockey Junior Alvarado was worthy of celebrating. They withstood a race-long duel with 4-year-old Minnesota-bred Doctor Oscar, who finished a length-and-a-quarter back, with Gatsby another length-and-a-quarter back in third.
Sibelius, who is owned by Jun H. Park and Delia Nash, paid $5.20 as the betting favorite in the 10-horse field. He is 6-for-18 lifetime, including a victory on Dec. 31 at Gulfstream in his previous start in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes, and the winner's share of $45,000 raised his earnings to $488,889.
“I was hoping for an easier time out there today,” O'Dwyer said. “We knew that (Doctor Oscar) has speed, and he kind of took it to us. I leave it up to Junior when he rides this horse. You don't tell these good riders what to do – they play the break and see how it goes.
“He was on the lead the whole way, he got pressured the whole way and he was strong at the finish. I'm just very proud of the way he battled and held on to the wire.”
O'Dwyer said he is hopeful of getting an invitation for Sibelius to compete in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 25 in the United Arab Emirates.
Alvarado said he was impressed by how Sibelius fought throughout, despite being pressure through taxing fractions of 21.46 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 43.88 for the half.
“Sometimes he breaks very sharp and sometimes he's just OK out of the gate, but today he broke sharp and I wasn't going to take anything away from him,” Alvarado said. “It wasn't a real struggle for him. He was a fighter for me.”
The post ‘Proud Of The Way He Battled’: O’Dwyer Hopes Sibelius’ Stakes-Record Victory Leads To Dubai Invitation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
