‘That was breathtaking’ – star filly Sheza Alibi dismantles Doncaster field By Trevor Marshallsea
Peter Moody was left pinching himself after Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior) confirmed herself as the latest superstar filly in his care with an unforgettable victory in Saturday’s Doncaster Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick.
Sheza Alibi, the $10,000 weanling purchase for her sole owner, central Queensland grazier Fred Noffke, pushed her earnings to $3.7 million with her seventh victory in ten starts, her fifth win in a row and her second Group 1 in succession.
And she did it in emphatic, effortless style, making a field of quality older milers look second–rate on a Soft 7 track.
Jumping from gate 13 of 16 for Jamie Melham under her featherweight 49 kilograms, Sheza Alibi settled second-last as a solid pace was set up front. She came as the widest runner around the home turn, but in just a few strides after the 350 metres, the filly flew past her rivals to turn the event into a procession, streaking home to score by 4.3 lengths as $1.90 favourite.
In doing so, she put herself in rarified company, becoming the first three-year-old filly to take Australia’s greatest mile race since the mighty Sunline (Desert Sun) won the first of her two Doncasters in 1999.
And with the ease of her victories – including a 3.2-length romp in the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at her previous start – Sheza Alibi has quickly earned mention among some extremely illustrious names.
She’ll not finish unbeaten, thanks to three minor placings in her formative first five starts, but Moody was still left pondering how lucky he is to have the rising star, having also trained the 25-from-25 phenomenon Black Caviar (Bel Esprit).
“I’ve been blessed to train one of the greatest we’ll ever see, but this filly is just amazing,” Moody said. “I’m not saying she’s Black Caviar, but that was just – how good?
“It’s emotional. She’s a special, special horse. Where’s the ceiling? You don’t know.”
Moody, who now trains in partnership with Katherine Coleman, was led to invoke the name of another special female – who is unbeaten so far – in the 11-from-11 Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), who’s been outstanding over the mile and is also set to grace the Randwick carnival in next Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
“It’s special. I’m happy Autumn Glow wasn’t here, I can tell you that. She’s a superstar,” he said.
“The day will probably come – let’s hope it does for Australian racing – where they meet. I’m happy to stay away from her for as long as we possibly can, but I don’t think we’re going to hide from too many, when you see a performance like that. She’s just a very special horse.”
In the other race within this one, that for second place, Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) took the honours, as he did behind the same filly in the Randwick Guineas, as a $10 second elect. His Chris Waller-trained stablemate Militarize (Dundeel) was third at $41.
The fact Sheza Alibi started odds-on in a Doncaster, and was the only horse in single figures in the market of a 16-horse edition of the history-steeped race, speaks volumes for her rare and exciting quality.
“That was breathtaking,” Moody said. “The second colt is a super colt and what she does is just amazing. Quite phenomenal, and she’s so nondescript. She doesn’t stand out at home in training, she’s just a tradesman. She’s got a great hip, a big deep girth and a hell of a lot of ability.
“I thought she had the perfect prep. She won the Guineas, got the ballot exemption [for the Doncaster], we missed the penalty and it just set up beautifully.
“The only thing was the soft ground. Good horses like to be close to on top of the ground, any good horse does. Nothing goes faster with cut in the ground.
“[But] crikey –- hard to go much faster than her, her last couple.”
Melham was equally enraptured after riding Sheza Alibi for the first time, with regular partner Luke Nolen unable to make the weight.
“What a horse,” said Melham, who made a special effort to make the 49 kilos given the horse involved.
“I trialled her the other day and she gave me a nice feel, but with blinkers on today, Jesus Christ, I’ve never sat on a horse that has given me goosebumps like that before.
“I got pushed a bit wide and got back a bit too far, but we got there in about a few strides and she just sailed away from them.
“They have a very, very special horse on their hands. I’ve sat on some very special horses before, but I don’t think any come close to the feel she just gave me then.
“I’m very happy to be hungry to be riding a horse like this.”
Moody, celebrating his 63rd Group 1 and his sixth with Coleman, was delighted to sit his first Doncaster trophy alongside those of Australia’s other main shorter-distance handicaps.
“It’s very special. This is one of Australia’s great races. I’ve won a Newmarket [with Black Caviar and Wanted], I’ve won a Stradbroke Handicap [with Mid Summer Music]. Now to win the Doncaster – that’s the big three handicaps in Australian racing,” he said, perhaps forgetting in the excitement the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups, the latter of which he won with Incentivise (Shamus Award) in 2021.
And Moody was also thrilled to take the Doncaster on the same day that Brett Cavanough, his old childhood friend from Charleville, Queensland, won the $1 million Country Championships Final (1400m), with Chidiac (Better Than Ready).
It was a teenaged Cavanough who convinced a 16-year-old Moody to join him strapping at Randwick for the great TJ Smith in the mid-80s.
“I’ll tell you what is very special to me, my great mate Brett Cavanough won the Country Championships earlier in the day,” Moody said.
“We are two boys from Charleville, a small town of 2000 people in Western Queensland and we’ve just won two feature races at Randwick on Doncaster Day.”
Bred by Queensland hobby breeders Fred and Desley Monsour, Sheza Alibi was bought by Noffke for that bargain $10,000 on Inglis Digital.
She is the sole winner from four to race out of Sheza Gypsy (Shaft), a half-sister to a Hong Kong Listed winner who was covered by Saxon Warrior (Deep Impact) during his third of four seasons at Coolmore Australia in 2021 at a fee of $13,750 (inc GST).
However, Sheza Alibi’s younger half-brother Nomadic (King’s Legacy) was stakes-placed in his third start at Randwick last weekend, running third in the Baillieu Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) for two-year-olds.
The sole Australian stakes winner for Saxon Warrior, Sheza Alibi is one of two Group 1 victors worldwide for the son of Deep Impact (Sunday Silence), after his first-crop son Victoria Road won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr 1, 8f) in 2022.
Saxon Warrior hasn’t shuttled to Australia since his fourth stint in 2022 and is currently standing in Ireland for €10,000 (approx. AU$16,524).
Sheza Gypsy wasn’t served in 2023 or 2024, but was covered by Newgate’s Ozzmosis (Zoustar) last spring.