Trainer James Cummings is left with two runners in today’s Group 1 $700,000 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm after he was forced to scratch the Godolphin owned Home Of The Brave.
Home Of The Brave, above, has been scratched from today’s Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm. Photo by Steve Hart.
The English import was showing an elevated temperature which gave Cummings no choice but to withdraw the seven year old from today’s Group 1 weight for age contest.
“G1 runner Home Of The Brave will be scratched from tomorrow’s G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup after an elevated temperature,” Godolphin tweeted yesterday.
Cummings will see how Home Of The Brave recovers from his set back with a couple of options ahead, including still heading towards the Group 1 $1.5m Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm in a fortnight or heading to the spelling paddock.
“We’ll nominate him for the Moreton Cup and we’ll decide next if he runs there or goes straight to the Stradbroke,” Cummings told Racenet.
“He could even go straight to the paddock because a hiccup is far from ideal.”
The Group 2 $200,000 Sky Racing Moreton Cup (1200m) at Doomben next week is also an option.
Cummings will still saddle up the $6 Kingsford-Smith Cup favourite Trekking as well as his promising three year old Encryption who is rated a $17 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au.
The Jenny Graham trained Victorem has been a surprise market mover and has firmed in from double figure odds to be the $7 second favourite on race morning with one punter waging $500 at $13 before the price tumbled.
