Hall of Fame trainer Peter Moody has confirmed the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) will be the primary target for superstar mare Sheza Alibi during the spring.
While the destination is clear, the path to Royal Randwick on October 31 remains flexible, with Moody and training partner Katherine Coleman still weighing up the ideal lead-in program.
Although some have speculated Sheza Alibi could be aimed at the $20 million The Everest, Moody suggested the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m) on the same day is a more likely option.
“I’m not sure if The Everest would suit her preparation,” Moody told Racing And Sports.
“But the King Charles might be a possibility.
“I was thinking in Melbourne there’s the [Group 1, $750,000] Makybe Diva Stakes at a mile, weight-for-age, at Flemington [September 12].
“She could even run in that race first-up, then go to the King Charles and Golden Eagle … something like that.
“But all roads lead back from the Golden Eagle — just whether she has two or three runs into that race, we will let her guide us along the path.”
Another possible starting point for her campaign is the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29.
“Whether she needs to go seven [furlongs] around Caulfield, I will weigh it up closer to the spring,” Moody said.
“I haven’t got anything set in stone but all roads lead back from the Golden Eagle.
“If she has a hiccup along the way there is basically a race every weekend.
“Touch wood, if something happens and we miss the Golden Eagle there is still Champions Day in Melbourne, too.”
Sheza Alibi announced herself as one of Australia’s elite performers with consecutive Group 1 victories in the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile to finish her three-year-old season.
Her Doncaster triumph was particularly breathtaking, coming from near last turning for home before storming over the top of her rivals to score by more than four lengths from Autumn Boy.
The performance earned Sheza Alibi a Timeform rating of 126, making her the highest-rated three-year-old in Australia this season. Only Hong Kong sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising (128), champion mare Autumn Glow (128) and weight-for-age star Sir Delius (127) have been rated higher.
Bookmakers have responded by installing Sheza Alibi as a dominant $1.90 favourite for the Golden Eagle. She is also the $4.50 second favourite behind Autumn Glow for the King Charles III Stakes and remains in The Everest market at $15.
After enjoying a break following her Doncaster heroics, the rising four-year-old has already commenced preparations for the spring.
“Sheza Alibi is back in pre-training,” Moody said.
“She is doing some trotting and cantering in Queensland but we will probably bring her back to Victoria in the next couple of weeks.
“Then when we get her home, we will start to get a bit serious with her work.”