Regional Queensland galloper shines on Derby Day

By Jordan Gerrans

From Townsville and Rockhampton to headquarters on Derby Day during the Melbourne Cup carnival, Central Queensland flyer Sheza Alibi has certainly climbed the ladder quickly.

At just her sixth race start, young filly Sheza Alibi nabbed the Group 3 The Vanity on Saturday at Flemington for grazier Fred Noffke.

Based on his farm at Goovigen, in the Shire of Banana, Noffke travelled south on Saturday to enjoy the spoils of his $10,000 online buy claiming the $240,000 feature event for three-year-old fillies. 

The 62-year-old Noffke has only been racing horses for around four years with his father passing on the love of the game as he owned gallopers throughout his life.

He has certainly found a smart filly with Sheza Alibi scoring at Callaghan Park in late April before claiming the time-honoured QTIS 2YO Classic, which carries a purse of $100,000, at Townsville in early June.

Sheza Alibi has since been transferred to the training team of Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman in Victoria after originally being prepared by Kris Hansen at Rockhampton.

“It is more pleasurable than you could ever believe, it just validates it a little,” Noffke said on Monday morning as he was back on his Goovigen property.

“I didn’t think I would ever have a horse like this; I had Real Statement who was a nice horse and Fay Faye who I bought at the Magic Millions.

“I have needed to be a fast learner.  I suppose from the outside looking in, it would look like I have had a bit of success, but the bills were coming hard for the horses I had (laughs).

“I am enjoying it now because it might be a long time before I get the next beauty.”

The Noffke clan have long raced horses with CQ conditioner Kerrod Smyth before branching out to Hansen in recent times. 

In her first start for Moody and Coleman, Sheza Alibi ran into third in the Listed Gothic Stakes at Caulfield in the middle of last month.

She was a well-supported favourite in Saturday’s Group 3 event over 1400 metres and after a few concerning moments in the run, leading hoop Luke Nolen eventually found a gap for Sheza Alibi as she scooted away to win by almost two lengths.

Moody – who was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame earlier this year - was full of praise for the job Hansen did with the filly before she lobbed in his Pakenham barn.

"She's gone through Townsville and Rockhampton and places like that and to see her come here and perform on Derby Day on the biggest stage, congratulations to all involved," co-trainer Moody said. 

"We've had her down here for a good few months now and she's done nothing but please us, so it was a well-deserved victory. 

"We thought we were coming in with a lean carnival, but we were fortunate enough to win the Guineas a few weeks back and now we've got a nice filly like this. 

"She'll probably go to Caulfield in a couple of weeks and take the boys on again and off the back of that, you'd think she will be very competitive again. 

"We're a bit light in numbers but hopefully they're in the right slots."  

Noffke is hopeful she will have one more run this time in before having a break and coming back for the rich autumn carnival.

Noffke hails from Springsure in the Central Highlands region of Queensland and only purchased his first horse around four years ago when he picked up Tricky Beans.

Real Statement won three races from seven starts before retiring to the breeding barn while Fay Faye won four races and has also entered the breeding phase of her career.

Real Statement was by Japanese sire Real Impact, which Noffke kept in mind when he acquired Sheza Alibi.

Sheza Alibi is a daughter of fellow Japanese stallion Saxon Warrior.

Noffke snapped her up as a weanling and she's now won more than $265,000 from just six starts, as she has never missed the top three.

Noffke believes Sheza Alibi’s placing behind Autumn Boy in the Tatt’s Stakes at Eagle Farm in late June and her first-up effort at Caulfield set her up for a smart performance on Saturday. 

“Everybody said she was nice, but no one knew exactly how good,” Noffke said.

“We were expecting a nice filly for Rockhampton.  She has just kept learning.

“I think she learnt a racing against Tentyris and Autumn Boy, those better horses coming around her – I don’t think she liked it.

“I think that was when it clicked.”

The Noffke and Hansen team have been in good form of late after Run Freda Run won at Rockhampton last Thursday afternoon.