Peter Moody has yet to finalise the latter half of Sheza Alibi’s spring campaign, but the trainer is adhering to the plan of a second-up run in the Makybe Diva Stakes for his stable star.
The four-year-old mare is set to make her first appearance in her adopted home state since her initial victory in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) last preparation. This Saturday, she will compete in the $750,000 Group 1 event over 1600 metres at Flemington.
She commenced her campaign with a second placing to Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m). Moody pointed to her dominant performance over Autumn Boy in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) as evidence of the improvement she can achieve between starts early in her preparation.
“She had a week down at the beach after the trip (to Sydney), had a good gallop on Tuesday morning and she’ll have another one this week,” Moody remarked.
“She won the Guineas second-up at a mile last prep then won the Doncaster a month later at a mile. She doesn’t need racing to hold her fitness.”
Her performance this weekend will play a crucial role in guiding Moody and co-trainer Katherine Coleman’s strategic planning for her subsequent races.
The daughter of Saxon Warrior is the odds-on favourite for the $10 million Golden Eagle on October 31 and is regarded as the main threat to Autumn Glow in the King Charles III Stakes, scheduled two weeks earlier. However, Moody indicated that a direct confrontation with Autumn Glow in the $5 million Group 1 race is not a certainty.
“You’ve got the King Charles, but it’s only two weeks before the other one (Golden Eagle) and I hate the thought of two trips, because I won’t leave her there,” he commented. “If I run her two weeks before I’ll maybe even do it here, if I think she needs it.”
The sole Victorian option for Sheza Alibi on October 17 is the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes, a $300,000 set weights and penalties race for mares over 1400m. The $1 million Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) is set to be held at Caulfield seven days prior.
The uncertainty surrounding her campaign means Moody is keeping the door open for a start in the $6 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m). While she is considered an unlikely runner, she will be paid up for when first acceptances are finalized on Tuesday.
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