Sheza Alibi to take 2000-metre route into Golden Eagle

Peter Moody has confirmed Sheza Alibi will contest the Group 1 Might And Power Stakes over 2000 metres at Caulfield on October 10.

The four-year-old mare will make her first start beyond 1600 metres before dropping back 500 metres for the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill three weeks later.

No Golden Eagle winner has come through a 2000-metre lead-up in the race’s first seven editions. First run in 2019, the 1500-metre event has generally attracted horses arriving from shorter races.

Moody confirmed the spring plan at Caulfield on Saturday, a week after Sheza Alibi won the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes over 1600 metres at Flemington.

“It’ll be perfect for her and it will give her plenty of time to come back to the Eagle,” Moody told Racing.com.

The weight-for-age Might And Power, run on the opening day of the Caulfield Cup carnival, will give the stable a chance to assess Sheza Alibi over 2000 metres.

Moody said the mare had thrived since the Makybe Diva Stakes and he expected her to handle the longer distance. The result will also help shape her next preparation.

“The beauty of it is that we get to have a try at 2000 metres this spring and that should give us valuable information for her next campaign in relation to races like the Australian Cup,” he said.

Sheza Alibi enters the race after defeating Autumn Boy in the Makybe Diva Stakes, with Another Wil a neck farther back.

The mare began her campaign with a second to Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Winx Stakes over 1400 metres at Randwick. A slow start from barrier one left her farther from the speed than intended, while a cleaner beginning allowed her to race closer in the Makybe Diva Stakes.

Her spring follows an unbeaten autumn campaign featuring victories in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas and Doncaster Mile. Those performances earned her the Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title for the 2025/26 season.