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| Staff Writer |
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Sibelius, the winner of last year’s Gr.1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, secured a spot in Meydan with an impressive warm-up victory at Tampa Bay Downs. Despite being parked on the outside for most of the 1200m race and facing fierce competition from rapid early fractions, Sibelius, ridden by Junior Alvarado, stalked the field and overtook three rivals in the straight, including Mish, to win by a hard-fought neck at the finish line. “It’s all systems go to Dubai,” said delighted trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer after the thrilling Pelican Stakes triumph.
“It was nice to see Sibelius do it the way he did,” O’Dwyer said. “We left it up to Junior (Alvarado). Junior had full control of what he wanted to do. We knew he had the outside draw we knew there was speed on the inside. So we trusted Junior and Junior trusted the horse. And he got the job done.” The Pelican Stakes, a race with a US$75,000 prize, has been perfectly positioned on the calendar, producing three Golden Shaheen winners based in the United States over the past six years.
Two of this year's participants, Nakatomi (who finished third) and Super Ocho (who finished sixth), were also nominated for the US$2 million sprinting feature on March 30th, making them strong contenders for the upcoming race.
In a similar fashion to last year's strategy, Sibelius followed the same path taken by his connections to Meydan, winning the Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park just before Christmas, followed by a successful bid in the Pelican Stakes. Despite his recent victory, he was still considered the second choice with 2-1 odds in the US market, behind Nakatomi, who was trained by Wesley Ward and finished third in the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Sprint last November.
Sibelius, a 6YO gelding, has now won six stakes races in his 24-start career, bringing his total earnings to US$1,789,751. He will be looking to defend his title from last year's Dubai World Cup night, where he narrowly defeated Switzerland in one of the most exciting finishes of the event.