Jun Park and Delia Nash's Sibelius will seek to rebound from a disappointing Dubai adventure in Saturday's $120,000 Smile Sprint, and trainer Jeremiah O'Dwyer couldn't have found a better place for the 6-year-old gelding's return to action than Gulfstream Park.
Sibelius will make a bid to maintain an unblemished record at Gulfstream in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up on Saturday's 10-race program. The son of Not This Time's two starts at Gulfstream have resulted in back-to-back victories in the Mr. Prospector (G3).
"I think it is a positive that he's run two races at Gulfstream and has two wins," O'Dwyer said. "But we don't think by any means it will be easy. There are some very good horses in the race."
Sibelius captured the six-furlong Mr. Prospector by 2 ½ lengths Dec. 31, 2022, before capturing the six-furlong Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) by a nose over Switzerland two starts later.
This year, after scoring a four-length triumph in the Mr. Prospector, the O'Dwyer trainee came up empty in his attempt to defend his Dubai Golden Shaheen title, weakening late to finish 11th.
"Ryan Moore came back after the race and said the horse outside of him was laying in on him the whole race and that he wasn't able to find his stride," O'Dwyer said. "So, I'd think that is a legitimate excuse."
Sibelius has had a series of five workouts at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, in preparation for the Smile Sprint.
"He's been training well. He is physically healthy and mentally healthy," O'Dwyer said.
Edwin Gonzalez is scheduled to ride Sibelius for the first time Saturday, when regular rider Junior Alvarado will honor stakes commitments at Aqueduct.
Tom Durant's Run Classic is also scheduled to make a return to action after finishing off the board in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. The 6-year-old son of Runhappy finished seventh at Meydan following traffic in the stretch.
"We've given him time to recover from the trip," trainer Jose D'Angelo said. "His last two workouts have been impressive. I know it is a tough spot. Sibelius is running, too. But he's ready to run."
Run Classic had previously scored a 3 1/4-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Sprint in his first start after being transferred to D'Angelo.
Leonel Reyes is slated to ride Run Classic for the first time in the Smile Sprint.
Saffie Joseph Jr., the leading trainer at the Royal Palm Meet, will be represented by C2 Racing Stable LLC's Mish, Bassett Stables' Swirvin, and Ten Twenty Racing and Saffie A Joseph's Comedy Town in the Smile.
Mish, a 7-year-old gelded son of Field Commission, has finished no worse than third in his last 11 starts that include five victories.
"He's very consistent. He's an older gelding. No matter what track you send him to, wherever he goes, he tries his best," Joseph said. "He's very, very consistent, just a hard-knocking horse that has a lot of try in him."
Swirvin, a 4-year-old son of Girvin, who finished far back in the Gulfstream Park Sprint after a troubled start, returned from a three-month freshening to win an optional claiming allowance after meeting race-long pressure.
"We actually liked him in that stake. We thought he had a legitimate excuse. We backed off and gave him a little time, and he came back and ran a big race in the allowance the other day," Joseph said. "He's back in stakes company. Hopefully, he can bring his 'A' game."
Comedy Town, a 6-year-old Speightstown gelding, is coming off an optional claiming allowance two starts after being claimed for $25,000.
Samy Camacho has the call on Mish; Edgard Zayas has the return mount on Swirvin; and Drayden Van Dyke is named on Comedy Town.
Arindel's Octane, who captured the Razorback (G3) at Oaklawn Feb. 24, enters the Smile off a dominating 6 ¼-length triumph in the Big Drama Handicap under returning Emisael Jaramillo.
Mad Dog Racing Stable and Joseph Park's Loco Abarrio, who finished third in the Gulfstream Park Sprint, enters the Smile off a second-place finish behind Octane in the Big Drama. Miguel Vasquez has the mount.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, July 6, 2024, Race 9Entries: Smile Sprint S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Swirvin (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 124 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 10/1 2 2Legacy Isle (KY) Joseph Trejos 122 Rohan Crichton 20/1 3 3Comedy Town (FL) Drayden Van Dyke 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 15/1 4 4Mish (FL) Samy Camacho 124 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 12/1 5 5Octane (FL) Emisael Jaramillo 126 Juan Alvarado 9/5 6 6Run Classic (KY) Leonel Reyes 126 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 5/2 7 7Sibelius (KY) Edwin Gonzalez 126 Jeremiah O'Dwyer 2/1 8 8Loco Abarrio (FL) Miguel Angel Vasquez 122 Ronald B. Spatz 20/1
