Sheza Alibi, Zac Spain win G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes at Caulfield

Sheza Alibi and jockey Zac Spain produced a late, inside-race surge to claim the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes over 1400 metres at Caulfield, winning by two and a quarter lengths from Ciaron Maher-trained Salty Pearl. The 3-year-old filly started the short-priced favourite at $1.60 and overcame being boxed on the fence to secure the victory that Moody and co-trainer Katherine Coleman had targeted.

Spain said he had to trust the filly while trapped along the rail, explaining, "I was just going so well - good horses get you out of trouble. I wanted to try and hold the box seat, but I would’ve been out of my comfort zone, so I had to just let her travel in hand and just believe in her, really." Spain added the result to an impressive personal run, noting the support of connections after a hot streak of Group winners.

The race shape saw Mark Walker-trained Chateau Eze (GB) taken forward to lead, leaving Sheza Alibi to settle back with only three horses behind her early. Salty Pearl, at $5.50, ran her customary honest race to finish second, while Mystery 'N' Drama ran on for third and recorded a first black type placing for the stable. Video and race reports described a tight rails run that opened late in the straight, allowing Sheza Alibi to "burst through" and bolt home under Spain.

Sheza Alibi is owned by Fred Noffke and co-trained by Peter G. Moody and Katherine Coleman. Bred on a Saxon Warrior (JPN) by Sheza Gypsy (Shaft), she was bought as a weanling from Middlebrook Valley Lodge for $10,000 at the Inglis Digital June 2023 sale. Career stats now list five wins from eight starts with three wins at black type level; sources record career earnings at either $693,695 or $691,445, figures that differ between reports and await official confirmation.

Peter Moody described the victory as a sentimental one, saying, "I'd just like to say I was wonderfully proud to win this race." It was Moody's fifth Armanasco Stakes success and he signalled an open-minded approach to the filly's program, noting she has had a long campaign and the connections were keen to manage her targets carefully. Discussion of a Randwick Guineas tilt and even speculative Cox Plate potential has followed the performance, reflecting the rising profile of a filly purchased for bargain bloodstock money.

The Upset Valley narrative, a $10,000 weanling developing into a multiple Group winner, will reverberate in sales rings and breeding rooms, while Spain's comment that this run adds to three Group winners in three weeks underlines the jockey's growing momentum in stakes company.