Team Sheza Alibi upbeat about Might And Power 2,000m trip

MELBOURNE – Sheza Alibi will get her first look at 2,000m when she lines up in the A$1 million (S$891,000) Group 1 Might And Power at Caulfield on Oct 10.

The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained star mare will, however, get a relatively easy initiation. To be ridden by regular partner Luke Nolen, she will have only five opponents to beat.

It should be the ideal way for the Saxon Warrior four-year-old to get out over further than the 1,600m she has been capped at in her 12 starts spread across Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney, while also giving her trainers a guide as to whether she will handle the trip in the future.

With luck, it will not be as taxing as racing in a bigger field with a A$10 million carrot dangling in front of Moody and Coleman and owner Fred Noffke in the shape of the newly elevated Group 1 The Golden Eagle (1,500m) at Randwick on Oct 31.

Coleman said that, condition-wise, she was excited to see Sheza Alibi back at the races on Saturday after her impressive victory in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1,600m) at Flemington on Sept 12.

Just as excitedly, Coleman is looking forward to seeing Sheza Alibi going over the unchartered territory.

“It will be interesting (the trip), and my gut feel is she will relish it,” said Coleman.

“Until they actually do it under race pressure, you always have a little question mark in the back of your head, but she has given us every indication that she’s going to appreciate it.”

After the Might And Power, the plan is to drop back to the 1,500m of the Golden Eagle.

The Caulfield feature may get the three-time Group 1 winner out of her comfort zone, but it was chosen as it was dual-edged.

Moody did not want to have to “train” Sheza Alibi after her Makybe Diva win and go straight to the Golden Eagle, while giving the team the chance to look at the mare at 2,000m.

It will also provide insight as to whether Sheza Alibi will stretch further later on.

Coleman said Sheza Alibi, who also has the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1,600m) and Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1,600m) on her CV, was a pleasure to train and knows when to be in trackwork mode or race mode.

“She’s got a fantastic will to win which all the good horses have,” said Coleman.

“She’s quite funny. She’s quite relaxed in her trackwork and she doesn’t go out there and run amazing times every day and look like a champion on the track.

“She just goes about her business every day and gets the job done, saving it for race day.”

Coleman has a lot of respect for the Chris Waller-trained Birdman, a Group 1 winner at 2,000m (Doomben Cup), although she is not taking any of the remaining four opponents – Land Legend, Torranzino, Kingswood and Treasurethe Moment – lightly.

“It will be interesting to see how the race sets up,” she said.

“He (Birdman) is a quality horse, and we have a lot of respect for him.” SKY RACING WORLD