Rabada has been withdrawn from Saturday’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas. Trainer Michael Azzie said yesterday: “Rabada did very well after his second in the CTS Ready To Run Cup and he was going along nicely but I wasn’t happy with his final gallop last Thursday.
“We would be taking on Silver Mountain who I think is something special and I don’t want to go down to Cape Town if I am not happy with the horse.”
Rabada was the highest-rated horse in the race – jointly with Silver Mountain who receives 2.5kg – and the Ready To Run Cup at Turffontein at the end of October was his first outing since landing the Premiers Champions Stakes at Greyville three months earlier.
Azzie said: “He was in need of the run when he ran second (to Champagne Haze) that day. Things hadn’t gone his way in the build-up. They pulled up some of the tracks and he missed crucial work when I needed to give him a bit of stamina work and the track was not available. As a result he went into the race underdone.”
The scratching of Rabada has seen World Sports Betting adjust Silver Mountain into 11-10 for Saturday’s Cape Guineas, followed by Noah From Goa (3-1), Brazuca (6-1), Budapest (10-1), Hard Day’s Night (12-1), Victorious Jay (12-1), Eighth Wonder (14-1) and Nassa (16-1), with 20-1 on offer bar these.
By Michael Clower
Final field and draws for the Grand Parade Cape Guineas (Grade 1) over 1 600m at Kenilworth on Saturday:
| 1 | 6 | Rabada – SCRATCHED | 60 | 111 | A | A Marcus | Mike Azzie | |
| 2 | 10 | Brazuca (AUS) | 60 | 109 | T A | W Marwing | Johan Janse van Vuuren | |
| 3 | 3 | Noah From Goa | 60 | 108 | A | A Delpech | Mike de Kock | |
| 4 | 16 | Eighth Wonder | 60 | 99 | A | S Cormack | Greg Ennion | |
| 5 | 7 | Star Chestnut | 60 | 99 | A | G Cheyne | Justin Snaith | |
| 6 | 14 | Hard Day’s Night | 60 | 98 | A | D Mansour | Joey Ramsden | |
| 7 | 13 | Liege | 60 | 97 | A | S Khumalo | Sean Tarry | |
| 8 | 12 | Victorious Jay | 60 | 97 | A | M Byleveld | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 9 | 15 | Budapest | 60 | 96 | A | B Lerena | Gavin van Zyl | |
| 10 | 9 | Illuminator | 60 | 96 | A | A Fortune | Glen Puller | |
| 11 | 17 | Nassa | 60 | 96 | A | C Orffer | Brett Crawford | |
| 12 | 5 | Ready To Attack (AUS) | 60 | 96 | A | D Dillon | Justin Snaith | |
| 13 | 11 | Purple Mountains | 60 | 95 | A | C Puller | Glen Puller | |
| 14 | 1 | Baritone | 60 | 94 | A | B Fayd’Herbe | Justin Snaith | |
| 15 | 8 | Rodney | 60 | 94 | A | G van Niekerk | Mike Bass | |
| 16 | 4 | Jet Air | 60 | 90 | A | R Khathi | Mike Bass | |
| 17 | 2 | Silver Mountain | 57.5 | 111 | A | A Domeyer | Mike Bass |
