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Ad Sheza Alibi ridden by Luke Nolen wins the The TAB Vanity at Flemington on November 01, 2025. (George Sal/Racing Photos)

Sheza coming back to Flemington

7 September 2026 Written by Racing & Sports, Brad Bishop & Craig Brennan

Peter Moody is yet to lock in the second half of Sheza Alibi's spring campaign, but he is sticking to the plan of a second-up run in the Makybe Diva Stakes with his stable star.

The four-year-old will have her first start in her adopted home state since her first-up win in the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) last preparation in this Saturday's $750,000 Group 1 over 1600 metres at Flemington.

It will be her second start at Australia's most famous racecourse, having won the Group 3 The Vanity over 1400m second-up on Derby Day last year.

She resumed with a second placing to Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) and Moody pointed to her dominant win over Autumn Boy in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) as an example of the improvement she can make between starts early in the campaign.

"She had a week down at the beach after the trip (to Sydney), had a good gallop on Tuesday morning and she'll have another one this week," Moody said.

"She won the Guineas second-up at a mile last prep then won the Doncaster a month later at a mile.

"She doesn't need racing to hold her fitness."

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How Sheza Alibi performs this weekend will help Moody and co-trainer Katherine Coleman formulate a plan on what to do next with her.

The daughter of Saxon Warrior is odds-on favourite for the $10 million Golden Eagle on October 31 and rated the main danger to Autumn Glow in the King Charles III Stakes two weeks earlier, but Moody said a rematch with Autumn Glow in that $5 million Group 1 was no guarantee.

"You've got the King Charles, but it's only two weeks before the other one (Golden Eagle) and I hate the thought of two trips, because I won't leave her there," he said.

"If I run her two weeks before I'll maybe even do it here, if I think she needs it."

The only option for Sheza Alibi in Melbourne on October 17 is the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes, a $300,000 set weights and penalties event for mares over 1400m, while the $1 million Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) is at Caulfield seven days earlier.

The indecision around her campaign means Moody will keep alive the option of a start in the $6 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) and while she was an unlikely starter she will be paid-up for when first acceptances are taken on Tuesday.

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