Saturday Summary: Sheza Alibi stuns with Doncaster demolition

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Something special about Sheza Alibi

The old saying that horses don’t know how much they cost was the theme of the day at Randwick with $950,000 yearling Joliestar (Zoustar) taking out the G1 TJ Smith Stakes and $500,000 yearling Campione D’Italia (Snitzel) winning the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes. Unbeaten Plaintiff (Zoustar) cost an eyewatering $2.2 million.

And at the other end of the scale was the $10,000 online purchase Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior {USA}) who demolished the G1 Doncaster Handicap field. She becomes the first 3-year-old filly to win the Doncaster since Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}).

The official margin was 4.29 lengths, called as five lengths across the line, but that doesn’t really explain how easily Sheza Alibit let down and strode past the rest of the field. And they weren’t slugs in behind her either with six other Group 1 winners in the field of sixteen. Last start G1 Rosehill Guineas winner Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) was second for trainer Chris Waller, who also trained third-placed Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}) who is a dual Group 1 winner.

“That was breathtaking, the second colt is a super colt and what she does is just amazing. Quite phenomenal and she's so nondescript, she doesn't stand out at home in training, she's just a tradesman, she's got a great hip, a big deep girth and a hell of a lot of ability,” Moody said.

“I thought she had the perfect prep, won the Guineas, got the ballot exemption, we missed the penalty and it just set up beautifully. The only thing was the soft ground, good horses like to be close to on top of the ground, any good horse does, nothing goes faster with cut in the ground.”

The day was extra special for Peter Moody whose trainer-friend Brett Cavanough won the $1 million Country Championship with Chidiac (Better Than Ready).

“I tell you what is very special to me, my great mate Brett Cavanough won the Country Championships earlier in the day,” Moody said.

“We are two boys from Charleville, a small town of 2000 people in Western Queensland and we've just won two feature races at Randwick on Doncaster Day.

“Ask Chris if one of his mates from Foxton in New Zealand has won on Doncaster Day, that's pretty special, Brett Cavanough and Peter Moody, two kids from Charleville, we've won two big races on Doncaster day and I hope all the team at Charleville are watching and having a great day. Brett arranged my first job with TJ (Smith), so that's very special as well.”

Sheza Alibi has now won five in succession, including a last start win in the G1 Randwick Guineas beating Autumn Boy, who had to settle for second again today. Twice a winner at two, Sheza Alibi now has seven wins from 10 starts with earnings over

Sales: Fred Noffke paid just $10,000 for Sheza Alibi as a weanling when she was offered in a mid-year Inglis Digital sale in 2023 by Middlebrook Valley Lodge.

Pedigree: Sheza Alibi is the only winner for six-time winner Sheza Gypsy (Shaft), a half-sister to Listed Canberra Guineas winner Rom Baro (Time Thief) from the family of G2 Reisling Stakes winner Glistening (Zoustar). She visited Ozzmosis in 2025.

Joliestar books her ticket to Royal Ascot

On a grey day in Sydney with rain drizzling down, Joliestar (Zoustar) showed her class in winning the G1 TJ Smith Stakes to book her trip to Royal Ascot. The field of nine was one of the best assembled on the day, with every one of the nine runners already clocking up at least one Group 1 victory before the gates had opened.

Sent out as favourite by punters, thanks to a last start victory in the G1 Canterbury Stakes, Joliestar was well rated by jockey James McDonald, sitting neatly on the inside of the pack as they swung for home to sprint clear with the rest chasing hard. Joliestar won by 0.6 lengths from Clayton Douglas-trained Giga Kick (Scissor Kick) with Mitchell Freedman-trained 5-year-old mare Skybird (Exosphere) finishing well for third.

“That is the difference between her this year compared to last year,” Waller said.

“Last year she could pull out a belter but wide draws and luck in running could get her beaten, too, but she is a more complete racehorse now. As a 3-year-old she won the Guineas and has been a model of consistency since.”

The plan has been Royal Ascot for a long time, and Joliestar’s run of good form has Waller thinking she can do that and more!

“I would go to Royal Ascot and bring her back for The Everest – she has just started to mature as a racehorse. I think we will probably go for the Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. We had the trip planned well before today but we wanted to see her run well in the TJ to cement her place for England.

“She'll have a little bit of down time now and then work our way back from Royal Ascot. We'll do our usual jump-outs and trials and get her on the plane. She goes so well fresh and no doubt will represent Australia very well on the grand stage.”

The victory took Joliestar’s record to ten wins from 21 starts with earnings over $8.9 million, and five of those ten wins have been at Group 1 level. She recorded her first Group 1 at three with the G1 Thousand Guineas, before adding the 2025 G1 Newmarket Handicap, 2025 G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup, 2026 G1 Canterbury Stakes and now the G1 TJ Smith Stakes.

Sales: Cambridge Stud purchased Joliestar for $950,000 from Segenhoe Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Easter draft.

Pedigree: One of 11 Group 1 winners for reigning Australian Champion Sire Zoustar, Joliestar is out of G2 Roman Consul Stakes winner Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock), who is a full sister to Merchant Navy from the family of Paulele. Jolie Bay has also produced stakes placed God Of Thunder (More Than Ready {USA}) and Emperor (I Am Invincible).

Cambridge Stud bought a half-sister to Joliestar by Anamoe for $470,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Jolie Bay has a full brother to Joliestar on the ground and subsequently visited Too Darn Hot (GB).

The Derby belongs to Godolphin

Godolphin had the top two in the betting for the G1 Australian Derby with Ciaron Maher-trained G1 Victoria Derby winner Observer (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) favoured over Bjorn Baker-trained Green Spaces (Street Boss {USA}). Observer was given every chance by James McDonald leading into the straight but was quickly joined by Storm Leopard (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) and in the end Observer found the soft track didn’t suit.

Rachel King took a wider path on Green Spaces and he responded to bound away in the final stages to win by over three lengths. Matthew Smith-trained colt Dezignation (So You Think {NZ}) wore down Storm Leopard who clung on for third, while Observer was just nabbed on the line by the gelding Kaye Jay (Crackerjack King {Ire}) and had to settle for fifth.

“I've had some much belief in this horse, the whole team has, they've done an amazing job and Bjorn has just timed it to perfection. Set him perfectly,” said King who rode a treble on the card.

“He's a beautiful horse and it set up perfectly for him today, I was very confident it would, he just relaxed so well, did everything I asked, a very satisfying win.”

Baker, whose father Murray has won this race five times, paid tribute to his family.

“I spoke to Murray a lot this week, I asked him what would you do, he said don't leave him short son, the rain came this morning and I was very confident he was fit enough.

“So special, what a great watch, when they are in the zone like that, his trackwork has been in the zone, I was very confident, I couldn't have him any better going into today. Every time I looked at him in the box, his coat was great, he is in the zone, his work on Tuesday was great.”

A winner at two, Green Spaces won the G3 Spring Stakes at Newcastle in November. This time in, he’s had four starts, running second in the G1 Rosehill Guineas to Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) last start. All up, the 3-year-old colt has four wins from 10 starts with earnings over $1.5 million.

“She (King) has done so much work for our stable and she delivers, she delivers on the big stage, she rode him perfectly today, it was an exceptional ride. Melbourne Cup - bring it on!”

Sales: A homebred for Godolphin.

Pedigree: One of 88 stakes winners for Street Boss (USA), Green Spaces becomes his sire’s 14th Group 1 winner. Green Spaces is a half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Trekking (Street Cry {Ire}) who earned over $5.8 million, Listed winner Winnie Star (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) and stakes placed Plymstock (Ribchester {Ire}).

Their dam, Outdoor (Redoute’s Choice), won three times and has a yearling colt by Pinatubo (Ire) and a colt weanling by Harry Angel (Ire). She was served by Traffic Warden in 2025. Outdoor is one of only three live foals for Champion 3YO Filly and triple Group 1 winner Serenade Rose (Stravinsky {USA}) whose other two foals were both stakes placed.

Perfect Plaintiff makes it an unbeaten four

Not every seven figure yearling can be an unbeaten dual Group 1 winner like Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), but sometimes they can become an unbeaten rising star like Plaintiff (Zoustar). The third top lot at the 2024 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale – yes, the sale that broke records when Quinceanera (Pierro) sold for $10 million – Plaintiff carried many hopes and dreams along with her big price tag.

The 3-year-old filly won her first three in succession for trainer Peter Snowden, who stepped her up into black type for the first time on Saturday in the G3 PJ Bell Stakes over 1200 metres.

It was a huge field, but jockey Jordan Childs made the most of the outside barrier and the pattern of the day to come around the outside of the field and storm home to win by 0.43 lengths. Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Nepo Baby (Lucky Vega {Ire}) was brave in second with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Tomato Toastie (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in third.

“Good effort, didn't surprise me, she's always shown a fair bit of ability and her work has been great and I'm so glad for Jordan, he gave up a full book of rides to come up here and ride her today,” Snowden said.

“The good ones always run well, no matter the conditions, what barrier they draw, they always run well and she did that today. She's only lightly raced and is still untapped, she's got plenty of potential.

Winner of all of her four starts, Plaintiff has earnings over $390,000.

“The James HB Carr looks like the logical stepping stone out to 1400m in two weeks time.”

Sales: Bought by James Harron Bloodstock for $2.2 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale from Widden Stud, Plaintiff is raced by Fairway Thoroughbreds.

Pedigree: Plaintiff becomes Zoustar’s 79th individual stakes winner. Her dam, G1 Tattersall’s Tiara victrix Prompt Response (Beneteau) won six times, five of those in stakes class, with earnings over $1.6 million. Her first two foals are winners, both by I Am Invincible, and Plaintiff is her third and final foal. Sadly Prompt Response died in April 2025 after slipping twice to Zoustar in 2023 and 2024.

Prompt Response was a full sister to G3 Maribyrnong Plate victor Prompt Return, and current stakes placed 3-year-old filly In Haste (Snitzel).

Profound new stakes winner for Farnan in Adrian Knox

G1 Golden Slipper Stakes-winning stallion Farnan chalked up a fifth Group winner on Saturday with Profoundly in the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick over 2000 metres.

The Michael Freedman-trained 3-year-old filly, who had been third in the G3 Kembla Grange Classic over the mile at her last start, relished the step up in distance and let down impressively on the outside of the field to score by two and a quarter lengths over ante-post favourite Soverato (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}). It was her third win in 10 starts.

Her victory was a family affair for the Freedmans, given Lee Freedman purchased her as a yearling and remains in her ownership.

"I bought her when I was training for $65,000," he said. "Then when I turned it in, I was looking for a good trainer, and my brother rang me.

"I was really happy that the form from Kembla worked out, because a lot of people were saying it was slowly run and it wouldn't be good form. But I just knew that this filly had improvement to come, and we'd never run her over a mile-and-a-quarter. All she wanted to do was stay."

Michael Freedman is considering a seven-day back-up for the filly into next week’s G1 Australian Oaks, if she pulls up well, saying, “why not? I think we'll be here next week.”

Profoundly, who is the first filly stakes winner for her sire, has moved to the second line of betting for the Oaks behind Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

Sales: DLF Racing Services paid $65,000 to take home Profoundly at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, where she was offered by Sledmere Stud.

Pedigree: Profoundly is the second stakes winner for her dam Profound Wisdom (Al Samer), who also produced G3 Chairman’s Stakes winner Sebonack (Capitalist). Profound Wisdom is a half-sister to Santos and Japanese Group winner Melagrana (Fastnet Rock), out of a half-sister to Mutawaajid and Fatoon (Snaadee {USA}), the Group-winning dam of G1 Epsom Handicap winner Fat Al (Al Maher).

Riversdale Farm will offer an Anamoe half-brother to Profoundly at the upcoming Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale, where he is Lot 302.

Autumn Break salutes in ‘back-up plan’ Carbine Club

He was meant to go to the $1 million Country Championships Final, but 40 minutes earlier, 3-year-old Autumn Break (The Autumn Sun) was instead lining up for the G3 Carbine Club Stakes, where he would deliver the biggest win of trainer Kym Davison’s career with a bob of the head.

It was a tight finish that at first looked to go the way of Chris Waller-trained Kilman (NZ) (Super Seth), but Davison’s gelding, who is trained in Albury, ground him down in the final strides of the mile race to snatch it all away by getting his nose a fraction in front. Matias (Snitzel) fought hard to finish third by a head.

“It’s a first city winner (for me), so not a bad one to crack the ice with, that’s for sure,” said Davison. “We were hoping to be in the next race but it’s a great consolation. The horse is bred to run 2000 metres, so we had been keeping him a bit fresh for the 1400 (metres, of the Country Championships), and when we didn’t qualify but were the emergency, I saw this race and said, ‘well, we’re going up there anyway so we will have a throw at the stumps’.”

Not bad for a ‘throw at the stumps’ that gives The Autumn Sun his fourth Group performer in a fortnight.

“(It was a) perfect ride,” Davison said of Sam Clipperton’s ride. “He produced at the right time and kept grinding away, and it was a great win.”

Davison shared that there were around 20 people in the gelding’s ownership, with a large section making it to the raceday to watch their horse win.

“There’s about 10 here that I played footy with back in Albury in the 80s and 90s,” he said. “We had fallen away from each other for a while and we met at the races through Canny Hell, who was in the Championships last year. This one is out of a half-sister to his dam, and we saw him at the sales and got his for $40,000, so it’s been a great result.”

Sales: Offered by Arrowfield Stud at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Autumn Break was a $40,000 purchase for Davison Racing Stables.

Pedigree: Autumn Break is the last foal - and now the best performed as well - for his dam Isdaal (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a winning half-sister to multiple stakes winner Junoob (GB) (Haafhd {GB}). The close family also features multiple Royal Ascot winner Lahib (USA).