Sheza Alibi’s brilliant win in the $4 million Doncaster Mile at Randwick on Saturday was the first time a three-year-old filly had saluted in the race since the mighty Sunline’s win in 1999.
Sunline, who would ultimate complete her career with an incredible thirty-two victories, came into the 1999 Doncaster, her twelfth start, already having ten wins behind her name, having only been defeated once in her first eleven career starts.
Sunline’s immediate lead-in run to the Doncaster came in the Moonee Valley Oaks where she saluted by a 4.50 length margin. That was a Group 3 contest … with Sunline only having raced at Group 1 level in one start prior to the Doncaster, which produced a facile three length victory in the Flight Stakes.
Sheza Alibi came into this latest edition of the Doncaster, which was her tenth start, with a similar, impressive record having won six out of her nine previous starts, with the last four wins coming in succession.
Sheza Alibi’s immediate lead-in run to the Doncaster came in the Randwick Guineas, in the only Group 1 she contested prior to the Doncaster, where she romped in by a clearcut 3.20 length margin.
Sunline and Sheza Alibi both won as very short-priced favourites … Sunline via her customary on-pace, run your opponents into the ground tactics … being very strong at both ends … while Sheza Alibi went for the far more spectacular and equally effective come from behind, turbo charged acceleration burn which blitzed her opposition leaving the best of the rest trailing in 4.29 lengths behind her.
Sunline won the Doncaster under 52kg. Sheza Alibi carried 49kg.
We know what Jamie Melham thought of Sheza Alibi’s performance, courtesy of a post-race interview which seems destined to contain a quote that will long live in the history of the Doncaster.
“Jesus Christ, I’ve never sat on a horse that has given me goosebumps like that before,” was Melham’s quote that summed it all up.
Another admirer, amongst many, of the win is Larry Cassidy who, having ridden Sunline to victory in the Doncaster twenty-seven years ago, of course had a great point of reference from which to admire Sheza Alibi’s achievement.
“It was an incredible win. I don’t think any horse racing in Australia could have beaten her in that race, on the day,” said Cassidy.
“She was just so dominant, especially where she came from. I know she had no weight on her back and maybe the way the track played coming that wide wasn’t so much of a disadvantage but, to do that … to go back and to be the widest runner on the turn … she just destroyed them.
“And to Jamie’s comment, Winx did the same to me. When I won on her I knew she was something special, so I can understand how Jamie felt.”
To say that a bright future now beckons Sheza Alibi would be an understatement.
Whether she can stay close to Sunline’s exceptional record and stand her ground in future comparisons remains to be seen.
Sunline went on to win multiple Group 1’s in Australia (including the Cox Plate). She also landed Group 1 success in New Zealand and in Hong Kong (in the Hong Kong Cup in a thriller with Fairy King Prawn) leaving big hoofprints for Shaza Abili to fill.
Not that she has to try and emulate any other runner.
The connections of Sheza Alibi might choose to send the daughter of Saxon Warrior veering off the trail blazed by Sunline to create her own, stand-alone legacy.
It has been confirmed that Sheza Alibi will now be spelled and set for a Spring campaign.
Whatever happens next, Sheza Alibi has written her name into Doncaster Mile folklore with her performance at Randwick likely to be remembered by those racing enthusiasts who witnessed it for many a year to come.
