The reality of jumping from barrier 13 in Saturday’s (4 April) G1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick has not fazed Queensland farmer Fred Noffke who owns rising star filly Sheza Alibi.

While many would see the barrier and the number it represents as a negative, Noffke is happy to turn it into a positive.

“All my life I’ve said 13 is lucky for some,” he said at this week’s official barrier event in Sydney, Australia. “I don’t walk under ladders but (barrier) 13 doesn’t faze me at all.”

In the end, Noffke didn’t have any influence on what barrier his filly would jump from as Sheza Alibi was the last horse left in the draw, along with number 13.

“I already knew I would be the last horse drawn out and thought I’d draw 13,” he said.

Sunline was the last three-year-old filly to win the race in 1999 and five of the past six winners have jumped from low single-digit barriers.

Despite the wide barrier, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the markets, and the filly, trained by Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman, is still the hot favourite.

Regular rider Luke Nolan could not make the lightweight of 108lb and has been replaced by champion jockey Jamie Melham, who last year became the second female to ride a G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner after Michelle Payne first achieved the feat in 2015.

Ciaron Maher’s top weight Gringotts, who has drawn barrier two in the 16-horse field, will lump 129lb. His other runner Vivy Air is in barrier 11.

Sheza Alibi has only raced once at Randwick for a last-start 3.2-length victory over Autumn Boy, who will again face the filly on Saturday, in the G1 Randwick Guineas (1600m).

It was the filly’s fourth successive win to boost her impressive record of six wins, two seconds and a third from her nine race starts.

Sheza Alibi joins Autumn Boy, Attica and Sixties as three-year-olds in the race.

The Chris Waller-trained Autumn Boy, who has drawn barrier one, is a last-start winner of the G1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and the colt has missed a place only once in his eight races.

“Everyone often wants to draw two, three or four so you can get off the fence if you need to get off the fence, but you can never complain with barrier one,” Waller’s assistant trainer, Charlie Duckworth, said.

“The blinkers go back on, so there is a lot to like about him. He is primed and ready.”

Waller colt Sixties, a last-start winner of the G2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m), drew outside in barrier 16.

“Sixties is airborne,” Duckworth said. “It’s a shame that he is drawn awkward, but Rachel (King) knows him really well and rides the 49kg (108lb) easily, which is a hard thing to do.

“He will need a little bit of luck from the gate but we will see the speed map and work out where he ends up.”

Joseph Pride’s Attica and Headley Grange both drew inside barriers – three and seven – and are considered place chances in a market dominated by Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy.

Zac Purton has been booked to ride Evaporate – from barrier 12 – for the Hayes brothers, Ben, Will & JD.

His other rides are Chidiac (barrier 9) in the Country Champions Final (1400m); Dr Hook (barrier 4) in the G1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m); Giga Kick (barrier 6) in the G1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) and Road to Paris (barrier 10) in the G1 Australian Derby (2400m).

The G1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) is carded as S1-6 and will be run at 1.35pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, 4 April.

Photo: Colin Bull