Sheza Alibi will start as the hot favourite for the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, with the absence of Autumn Glow leaving Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s mare clear to renew her pursuit of top-level success.
The four-year-old has drawn barrier seven in the 13-runner field and is priced at around $1.65 for the 1600-metre contest, which carries prize money of $750,000. Luke Nolen will retain the ride.
Sheza Alibi ended last season with victories in the Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile before returning with a close second to Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes over 1400m at Randwick.
Autumn Glow, who beat her on August 22, is being kept apart for now and is scheduled to return in the 7 Stakes at Randwick on September 19. The result has strengthened expectations that Sheza Alibi can improve sharply at her second run of the campaign.
“It’s come up a really strong race,” Coleman told Racenet. “We’ve got so much respect for horses like Mr B and Sir Delius. It’s exciting to have a horse of the same calibre as them and racing in this sort of a race.”
Sir Delius is the second favourite at about $4, with Craig Williams aboard the six-year-old Frankel entire. The Waterhouse-Bott-trained runner has won two Group 1 races and arrives after two trial victories, while his trainer Gai Waterhouse has made clear that the Flemington feature is a target rather than merely a spring warm-up.
“I think it will be a hard race to win, but we’re in it and we’ll give it a shake,” Waterhouse said. Sir Delius is also being aimed at the Turnbull Stakes and Cox Plate later in the spring.
Mr Brightside, a three-time winner of the Makybe Diva Stakes, will attempt to extend his remarkable record in the race from barrier two. Blake Shinn takes over from Williams, who chose to partner Sir Delius.
Shinn said he was delighted to be given the opportunity to ride the veteran gelding, who finished second in the Memsie Stakes on his return. Mr Brightside’s bid for a fourth straight Makybe Diva Stakes victory would put him alongside a select group of Australian racing greats to have won a major race four times.
Half Yours, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner, will make his first appearance at Flemington since completing the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double. The six-year-old is a $31 outsider and is being prepared with the two-mile classic in November in mind.
Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy said the Makybe Diva Stakes would be an important test over a distance short of Half Yours’ best, with the stable hoping to see him settle and finish strongly over the final 400 to 500 metres.
The race is scheduled for 4.20pm local time on Saturday, September 12, with Sheza Alibi facing 12 Group 1 winners in a field that the Victoria Racing Club has described as one of the strongest assembled for the event.
