Sibelius primed for De Francis Dash

Millionaire Sibelius will seek his seventh stakes win for trainer Jerry O’Dwyer in the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash going six furlongs at Laurel Park on Sunday.

The 5-year-old gelding gained international prominence capturing last year’s Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen.

Sibelius returned to the Middle East for the 2024 Golden Shaheen but finished 11th.

“Ryan Moore came back in and said the horse to his outside was leaning all over him the whole way,” O’Dwyer said. “[Sibelius] never got a chance to get comfortable and into a nice rhythm.”

Sibelius returned to North America with a good effort, a third-place finish in the Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park on July 6.

“I wanted him to be like 90 percent [in the Smile Sprint] there off the layoff,” O’Dwyer said. “I didn’t want to overcook him. It’s all about longevity with him now. We’d love to go back to Dubai with him.”

Dean Delivers is in blazing form, but can he handle the heat against this tough field?

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“He started to tail off [in Florida],” trainer Ned Allard told Daily Racing Form before Dean Delivers’s 96 Beyer victory in the Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park on July 8. “I thought he needed a little break and maybe cooler temperatures. When he came [to me], he was a little quiet. The cooler weather completely changed him.”

Dean Delivers didn’t just handle six rivals in the Alapocas Run but also the temperatures that soared into the low-90s. He will likely show good speed.

Seven’s Eleven was named last year’s Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old male after winning 6 of 10 starts, including two restricted stakes. Unraced since a good second to subsequent graded winner Post Time in the Grade 3 General George at Laurel on Feb. 17, Seven’s Eleven will add blinkers in his first start for trainer Nesvil Bailon.

Prince of Jericho returns to his favorite racing surface after chasing Dean Delivers at Delaware. Conditioned by Brittany Russell, Prince of Jericho grabbed the Frank Whiteley Stakes here on April 13, then ran a solid third in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint on Preakness Day at Pimlico.

Little Vic, a Grade 3 winner over muddy going last year, returns to this track for the first time since notching the City of Laurel Stakes in 2022. He finished third, beaten 10 lengths by Dean Delivers in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park on May 27.

“I need to push him on the front, but he didn’t want to go to the front in that race,” said trainer Juan Avila, who also mentioned that Little Vic might not have cared for the sealed, sloppy track at Monmouth. Avila expects Little Vic to be “on or near the front” Sunday.

Alwaysinahurry, last year’s Frank Whiteley hero, rallied from off a hot pace to take his De Francis prep, a high-level allowance at Laurel on June 28.

Gordian Knot, Five Dreams, and Awesome Aaron complete the field.

Twisted Ride will scratch and instead race in Saturday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga, per trainer Michael Moore.

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