Sibelius Dubai Bound After Two Stakes Wins in Florida

Jun Park and Delia Nash's Sibelius , who became a graded stakes winner in the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) on New Year's Eve at Gulfstream Park, is headed to Dubai to run in the $2 million Golden Shaheen (G1) March 25 at Meydan Racecourse.

"We have accepted an invitation to go to Dubai," trainer Jerry O'Dwyer said. "He came out of his last race good and is doing really well."

The Golden Shaheen is a dirt race at 1,200 meters (about six furlongs).

Sibelius has put together back-to-back wins for the first time in his 18-race career, with a follow-up score in the Feb. 11 Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs coming in his most recent start. In the latter race, he sped six furlongs in a stakes record 1:08.75, just .08 off the track record, with Junior Alvarado aboard.

That victory gave him his fourth win in his last six starts. The 5-year-old Not This Time   gelding is 6-3-3 in 18 starts with earnings of $488,889.

O'Dwyer said Sibelius would continue his preparations at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, before the sprinter is scheduled to leave for Dubai March 12.

"We're excited. I love shipping horses, but I don't like shipping them anywhere unless I think they're live, and I do think he's a very nice, genuine horse, and hopefully he can get a nice piece of it out there," O'Dwyer said.