Bott: Sheza Alibi "hard to beat" but 1600m is no worries for Sir Delius

By Jasper Cormick

Sir Delius, one of the best horses in the country, returns to the track this Saturday at Flemington.

He will be facing off against Peter Moody’s star filly Sheza Alibi, who will be incredibly difficult to beat.

Adrian Bott, Sir Delius' co-trainer with Gai Waterhouse, joined SENTrack & RSN's Giddy Up to talk about the star six-year-old’s first-up test in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes.

“The horse is in great order, and he is forward for the first-up run,” Bott said.

Although it is not his best distance, Bott has a degree of confidence in Sir Delius returning to the track in style this spring.

“The mile is well short of his best distance, although 12 months ago he run a brilliant first-up run in the Chelmsford (1600m),” he said.

“Obviously, (Sheza Alibi) is very sharp and hard to beat, but he’s there in good order.

“I’d like to see him as forward as we can, certainly don’t want to be negative on him, give him a good positive ride and put him into the race.

“I don’t think we will be getting too far back.”

Last start Sir Delius did the improbable and dominated the undefeated Autumn Glow in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000m, capping off an ultimate preparation.

But that prep was a slow burn to reach peak fitness, coming off the injury concerns that put an early end to his spring campaign in 2025.

This time around, first-up in the spring, Waterhouse and Bott have much more confidence in the champion’s ability to win fresh in this stacked Group 1 race.

“It was a different build-up last preparation, so he is a little bit more forward and sharper,” Bott said.

A return to 'Headquarters' also excites Bott, particularly as they head towards the 2026 Cox Plate at Flemington, away from the usual Moonee Valley.

“He obviously really enjoys that track, he’s performed well there previously,“ Bott said.

Craig Williams takes the ride on Sir Delius, preferring the three-time Group 1 winner to warhorse Mr Brightside who he regularly rides.

“Craig was full of praise the way he handled himself on Tuesday, he just seems to be handling it really well this time around,” Bott said.

On SENTrack & RSN’s Stable Mail, Bott opted to put his $100 straight on Sir Delius.

“I am going to stick with Sir Delius, excited to see him back, think he is in good shape,” Bott said.

Sir Delius is paying $4.40 with Sportsbet in this Saturday’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes.