Sibelius to Face Formidable Foe on Path to Dubai

In last year's Pelican Stakes, Sibelius  withstood a torrid pace battle with Doctor Oscar  and streaked home a 1 1/4-length winner in near-track record time in his final prep for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). The spunky sprinter, owned by Delia Nash and Jun Park, will again need to overcome Doctor Oscar, as well as a truly formidable foe in Nakatomi , to prevail in this year's edition of the six-furlong contest at Tampa Bay Downs.

It's been no secret that the Sibelius camp has been gearing the 6-year-old son of Not This Time   towards a repeat bid in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen March 30. Trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer has been adamant about keeping the gelding on a schedule that's tried and true, and so after his second consecutive Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) victory Dec. 23, the Pelican was again slotted as the tune-up for Meydan.

"I think everything we did last year worked out perfect so we wouldn't want to be changing anything," O'Dwyer told BloodHorse.

Sibelius has breezed three times since the Mr. Prospector, firing a bullet half-mile in :48.35 Feb. 2 over a deep track at Palm Meadows Training Center.

Junior Alvarado, aboard for Sibelius's four-length Mr. Prospector score, has the call.

Despite Sibelius' credentials heading into the Pelican, the gelding has been dubbed the second-choice on the morning line behind 2023 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) third-place finisher Nakatomi.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Nakatomi has always shown ability since his 2-year-old year. Despite his accumulation of flashy speed figures, however, the Firing Line  gelding has only one stakes win to his record in 15 trips to the post, and that win came in the 2021 Bowman Mill Stakes during his juvenile season. Campaigned by Qatar Racing and Mrs. Fitriani Hay, who purchased Nakatomi for $205,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Horses of Racing Age Sale, he proved he belonged with the best sprinters in the country in his last two outings. A narrow runner-up in the Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in October, Nakatomi came back a month later and was beaten a half-length by Gunite   for second in the Breeders' Cup, only two lengths behind two-time Eclipse champion sprinter Elite Power  .

Making his 5-year-old debut, the Pelican could also be the pit stop on the train to Meydan for Nakatomi, who was among several United States horses nominated for the Golden Shaheen.

The front-running Super Ocho , graded stakes winner Little Vic , last-out allowance winners Mish  and Caramel Chip , and Amo Racing's Hurricane J  complete the field for the $100,000 Pelican.

Life Talk Stands Tall in Six-Horse Suncoast

Earlier in the card, Repole Stable's Life Talk , an impressive victress of Aqueduct Racetrack's Demoiselle Stakes (G2) last fall, returns to action seeking Kentucky Oaks (G1) points in the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Life Talk currently ranks seventh in the Road to the Kentucky Oaks standings having earned 19 points with her Demoiselle win and third- and fourth-place efforts in the Frizette Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Gun Runner  , ridden by Jose Ortiz, is by far the most accomplished contender in the field of six.

Other fillies looking to join the Oaks fray in the one-mile-and-40-yard contest include runaway Cash Run Stakes winner Power Squeeze  and last-out Tampa Bay maiden winner Whocouldaskformo , an Uncle Mo   filly from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.