Danie Toerien
Gimmie Rules, trained by Dean Kannemeyer, will not be running in the L’Ormarins King's Plate on 10 January.
That's the official word from the trainer as his three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt has also been carded to contest a Class 2 Handicap over 1500m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday 4 January.
Gimmie Rules finished fourth in the Cape Guineas on 13 December, 3.35-lengths behind Jan Van Goyen.
That run has convinced Kannemeyer that his charge is not yet ready for one of the country's most iconic and historic races.
"I entered him," said Kannemeyer, "and if he was good enough to win the Guineas, he would have gone into the race (King's Plate), maybe.
"But on the performance of the Guineas, he doesn't run in the King's Plate," said Kannemeyer on Tuesday.
In another very interesting development ahead of the Grade 1 King's Plate, trainer Justin Snaith will be saddling See It Again.
The six-year-old Twice Over gelding, who has two Grade 1 victories to his name, has been moved from the yard of Michael Roberts to the Snaith empire less than a month before the running of the King's Plate.
See It Again thwarted two attempted comeback runs for the season when refusing to load, but did finally get his first run as a six-year-old on 13 December when running third in the Grade 2 Ridgemont Green Point Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth under Andrew Fortune.
First in that race was Dave The King, followed by Garrix, with See It Again in third and Sail The Seas in fourth - all four seperated by less than a length.
All four are set to renew their rivalry in the King's Plate.