Sheza Alibi took Australian racing by storm during the autumn, and connections have now unveiled the first piece of her spring carnival puzzle. The brilliant Doncaster Mile winner is being aimed at the Group 1 Memsie Stakes as she begins her quest to cement herself as the nation’s best weight-for-age horse.
Co-trainer Peter Moody has confirmed the champion filly is on track to resume in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 30, with the race expected to launch another ambitious spring campaign.
It’s a logical starting point.
The Memsie has long been regarded as one of Australia’s premier spring kick-off races, regularly attracting elite weight-for-age performers on their way to races such as the Cox Plate, King Charles III Stakes and Champions Mile. For Sheza Alibi, it shapes as the perfect platform to announce she’s returned every bit as good as she was during an unforgettable autumn.
Few horses ended last season in more breathtaking fashion.
The daughter of Saxon Warrior produced one of the most dominant Doncaster Mile performances in modern history, storming home from near the tail of the field to defeat Autumn Boy by more than four lengths. In doing so, she became the first three-year-old filly since the legendary Sunline in 1999 to win Sydney’s famous mile handicap.
That victory elevated Sheza Alibi from an emerging star to one of the headline acts of Australian racing.
Purchased for just $10,000 as a weanling by Central Queensland cattle grazier Fred Noffke, the filly has already banked more than $3.7 million in prize money and boasts an outstanding record of seven wins from her first 10 starts.
Her autumn preparation was almost flawless.
After winning the Angus Armanasco Stakes, she dominated the Randwick Guineas before delivering her career-best performance in the Doncaster. Each victory suggested she was developing into a genuine superstar, but it was the manner of her Doncaster win that had many judges comparing her to some of the great mares of the modern era.
The decision to target the Memsie also hints at the races that could follow.
Should Sheza Alibi return in the same form, races such as the King Charles III Stakes, Champions Mile and potentially even the Cox Plate are likely to come under consideration later in the spring. While connections are expected to take a race-by-race approach, her versatility over 1400m to 1600m makes her one of the most exciting horses in training.
For Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, patience will be the key.
The training partnership has resisted the temptation to over-race the filly throughout her career, carefully spacing her runs to allow her to continue developing. Given the way she progressed during her three-year-old season, there is every reason to believe her best racing could still be ahead of her.
If Sheza Alibi returns anywhere near the level she displayed at Randwick in April, the Memsie Stakes won’t simply mark the beginning of another campaign.
It could be the start of Australia’s next great spring carnival story.
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