There were unforgettable scenes at the 2023 Dubai World Cup when Sibelius stormed along the rail to deny Switzerland in a thrilling edition of the Dubai Golden Shaheen to provide the biggest win of trainer Jerry O’Dwyer’s career.
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The US-based Irishman now plans to do it again, with Sibelius prepped and ready to defend his title on March 30. First though, he was keen to reminisce.
“I thought he had a good shot,” he said of last year’s race. “Everybody I spoke to thought he belonged there and that he was stepping up at the right time. I got a lot of confidence when he won the Pelican Stakes as they said if you like that track at Tampa, then you’ll like Dubai.”
The victory wasn’t for the faint-hearted: just a nose separated Sibelius and Ryan Moore from 2022 winner Switzerland and Tadhg O’Shea – ironically, a good friend of O’Dwyer.
“I’d be lying if I said I thought I was going to win,” said the trainer. “They were a solid group and that was the first time I’ve seen him that far out of his ground in a race. For him to rally like that along the rail was a testament to the horse and the jockey. He wants to win and he knows how to win.”
However, after Dubai the wins were a little hard to come by and Sibelius suffered three straight losses. “We took a step back with him after a couple of defeats and then he was fifth in Kentucky which showed me he was still there, numbers-wise,” explained O’Dwyer. “We re-edited our plan so that getting back to Dubai was the main aim.”
Sibelius flies to Dubai on March 19. As in 2023, he arrives fresh from success in the Pelican Stakes (Listed) at Tampa Bay Downs, in which beaten horses included Shaheen rival Nakatomi.
“Visually it was better than last year and he beat a better bunch of horses,” said O’Dwyer. “We’re ready. He had his last breeze this morning [Thursday] and he’s fit, he’s well.
“I’d have to be more confident this year than I was last year. It’s a little less pressure as we know the way it all works and that he handles it all.”
O’Dwyer, who will be joined on the trip by wife Alison, has booked Moore for the race but the day-to-day riding at Meydan will be done by Allyson Hartfield, who accompanied Shirl’s Speight last year.
“She’s sat on him a few times and she gets on with him well, but then there aren’t many people who don’t get on with him,” added O’Dwyer of the horse who became something of a media darling in the build-up to last year’s race.
“I wasn’t expecting the attention we got last year. Out of the Americans there were others with a better chance of winning on paper. But he’s a ham, he loves the attention and he’s a photographer’s dream.
“The owners [Jun Park and Delia Nash] deserved it too – they’ve stood by him through thick and thin and turned down multiple offers for him.”
For O’Dwyer, Sibelius is the horse of a lifetime. “He’s a six-year-old so hopefully we’ll have another couple of years out of him yet,” he added. “He’s a horse I’ll never forget.”
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