While he has some way to go to ever match the feats of a former local hero in Hear The Drums, Gqeberha sprinter Cruise Control notched his 12th career victory in facile fashion at Fairview on Friday with another smooth win in the R175 000 non black-type Speedsters Stakes, a feature he won as a 3yo.
Gallopers with built-in jets like Cruise Control boasts tend to garner their own following amongst the racing public, and the uncomplicated Gavin Smith-trained son of Querari beat his five rivals as a popular 5-10 favourite.
Cruise Control and Louis Mxothwa dish out the speed show (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Purchased in training from Mauritius-based owner Vicky Veeramootoo earlier this year, Cruise Control was marking his first victory for the KZN champion owner syndicate.
The victory came in the wake of providing them with plenty of thrills during the SA Champion Season when he ran 0,30 lengths off Tarry star Lucky Lad in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint and was then not disgraced in both of the Gr2 Post Merchants and the Gr1 Mercury Sprint, before returning to the Windy City, where he is simply lethal.
Sporting Post-sponsored jockey Lous Mxothwa has ridden the ace five times for five wins, and earned the easiest commission of the season as Cruise Control (5-10) toyed with his opposition to beat Blue Holly (8-1) by 3,75 lengths in a time of 62 secs flat for the 1000m.
Cape raider Speed Machine was a further 1,25 lengths away in third.
Cruise Control broke the Fairview 800m track record on debut in December 2021 and was raced for the first part of his career by Mauritius based owner Vicky Veeramootoo, who went to R200 000 for him at Nationals.
A Boland Stud-bred son of the outstanding Querari (Oasis Dream), he is out of the Sail From Seattle mare, Eurythmics.
Cruise Control has won 12 races with 3 places from 21 starts for stakes of R926 563.
Maybe we are pushing the envelope by mentioning a horse who has yet to win a stakes race, albeit placed at Gr1 level, in the same breath as the Summerhill bred Hear The Drums – the most successful racehorse in South African modern era history in terms of number of wins.
Hear The Drums – local star remembered (Pic – Supplied)
Foaled in 2002 he earned over R1 000 000 in stakes, having 65 Starts, 35 of them wins (including placing in two Gr1 events – the 2009 and 2010 Cape Flying Championships WFA, as well as numerous Listed Races) and 19 places.
The victory by Cruise Control must be considered a great omen for another Hollywood Syndicate speedster in Isivunguvungu, who makes his US debut in the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday evening at 22h55.
The race will be broadcast on Gallop TV.
Enjoy this good luck clip for Isivunguvungu:
