Cox Plate or Golden Eagle for Sheza Alibi after Flemington domination?

By Connor Scanlon

Sheza Alibi is an absolute jet.

In the lead-up to the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes, all the talk was about this mare, and didn't she live up to expectations.

Jumping as the $1.60 favourite with Sportsbet, the Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman-trained four-year-old ran excellently across 1600m at Flemington Racecourse, winning her third Group 1, defeating Autumn Boy and Another Wil by 2.75 lengths, who finished second and third respectively.

Reflecting on the race itself, Cam Luke exclaimed on SENTrack's Saturday Trackside that he would love to see Sheza Alibi run in this year’s Cox Plate.

However, former jockey David Taggart and ex-AFL player Josh Jenkins explained that likely won’t happen due to the lure of the $10 million Golden Eagle.

Luke: “I just so desperately want to see her in the Cox Plate.”

“Like that would add all this spice to it.”

Jenkins: “Not a chance she goes there if I had anything to do with her.”

Luke: “Why?”

Jenkins: “Well, she's got the Golden Eagle at her mercy.”

Taggart: “See, the thing is she's four; you only get one crack at the Golden Eagle with all the money, right?

“You go around next year in the Cox Plate.”

What also caught the attention of Luke was the 2025 Cup-double winner, Half Yours.

The Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding ran sixth, but Luke questioned whether that run was actually good or not, depending on what his Grand Final target will be.

He explained that run from the son of St Jean’s was perfect if the McEvoy’s are targeting the Cups, but not if they are aiming at the Cox Plate.

“Half Yours has ran really well if he’s heading on a Cups campaign. That is the question,” Luke said.

“This is the thing, Half Yours was good, right? But it's a mile race, weight-for-age, and the horses around it are going to improve.

“So is it good? Absolutely it was if it's on a Cups campaign. But if it's going to the Cox Plate, it’s meh.

“That’s the difference.

“Like he's ran really well, he's got going late, but the horses around him are going to get better as well – Sir Delius is going to improve from that, Autumn Boy's beaten him home, albeit he's a run in front of him, and Another Wil's ran really well.”

Sheza Alibi is now $1.80 to take out the Golden Eagle on October 31 and $9 to win the Cox Plate on October 24, while Half Yours has drifted to $26 to win the Cox Plate, but remains the $10 favourite for the Melbourne Cup.