The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman partnership is preparing Sheza Alibi for her first attempt at 2000 metres, which will be at Caulfield.

While Group 1 races are never straightforward, Sheza Alibi will face a relatively small field of just five competitors in Saturday’s Might And Power Stakes.

This race is expected to provide Sheza Alibi with an ideal introduction to racing over 2000 metres, simultaneously giving her trainers a clear indication of her suitability for the distance in the future.

With some luck, this outing should be less taxing than competing in a larger field, particularly with the substantial $10 million prize associated with The Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick on October 31, a significant target for Moody, Coleman, and owner Fred Noffke.

Coleman shared her excitement about Sheza Alibi’s return to the racetrack on Saturday, following her impressive victory in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 12, particularly regarding the mare’s condition.

Coleman is also keenly anticipating Sheza Alibi’s performance over the 2000-metre journey on Saturday.

“It will be interesting (the trip), and my gut feel is she will relish it,” Coleman said.

“Until they actually do it under race pressure, you always have a little question mark in the back of your head, but she has given us every indication that she’s going to appreciate it.”

The subsequent plan is to redirect Sheza Alibi back to the 1500-metre distance of The Golden Eagle.

Saturday’s race was chosen for its dual advantages.

Moody did not want to have to ‘train’ Sheza Alibi after her Makybe Diva win and then go straight to The Golden Eagle; this race allows the team to assess the mare at 2000 metres.

It will also offer valuable insights into whether Sheza Alibi has the potential to perform over even longer distances later on.

Coleman stated that Sheza Alibi is a pleasure to train, possessing an innate ability to know when to be in trackwork mode and when to be in race mode.

“She’s got a fantastic will to win which all the good horses have,” Coleman commented.

“She’s quite funny. She’s quite relaxed in her trackwork and she doesn’t go out there and run amazing times every day and look like a champion on the track.

“She just goes about her business every day and gets the job done, saving it for race day.”

Coleman expressed considerable respect for Chris Waller’s charge, Birdman, a horse with two Group 1 wins over 2000 metres, but indicated that none of the remaining four competitors would be overlooked.

“It will be interesting to see how the race sets up,” Coleman remarked.

“He (Birdman) is a quality horse, and we have a lot of respect for him.”

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