Sheza Alibi was not confirmed for the Doncaster Mile until a few days after her Randwick Guineas win, but co-trainer Katherine Coleman hasn’t seen anything since to make her think she is not up to the task.
The three-year-old is set to start a short-priced favourite in the $4 million Group 1 over 1600m at Randwick this Saturday.
Sheza Alibi still has this week’s piece of serious work to complete, which will be done at Pakenham on Tuesday morning, but Coleman said all had gone smoothly since her dominant Randwick Guineas won on March 7.
“We’ve definitely been very happy with her since she came home from Sydney after winning up there,” Coleman, who trains in partnership with Peter Moody, said.
“She just hasn’t missed a beat and she seems like she’s really bounced through that.
“Her trial was super, she wasn’t asked for much of an effort and it didn’t take much out of her.
“She seems very bright and well within herself, so she will have a nice gallop on Tuesday morning in preparation for the Doncaster and then head up to Sydney later in the week, all being well.”
Moody and Coleman did not commit to a Doncaster Mile start until the days following the 1600m Group 1 Randwick Guineas, when Sheza Alibi was already back home at their Pakenham base.
They have gone about business as usual with the daughter of Saxon Warrior, who was kept up to the mark with an impressive 1000m jumpout win at Pakenham on March 24.
Jamie Melham was aboard in the jumpout and will ride Sheza Alibi at 49kg this weekend, when she will be looking to extend her winning streak to five.
Her Randwick Guineas win was preceded by victory in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m), having won the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) and Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m) late last spring.
Sheza Alibi is poised to start the shortest-priced favourite in a Doncaster Mile since Winx, who won at $1.80 a decade ago, with the filly heading all-in betting at $2 on Monday morning.
