Hollywoodbets-sponsored East Cape Champion trainer Gavin Smith has a very promising 3yo sprinter on his hands in the shape of Querari’s son Cruise Control, who produced lightning speed and pulled hard but still stepped up when it counted to beat his elders in the non black-type R175 000 Speedsters Stakes at Fairview on Friday.
JP van der Merwe poses as Cruise Control speeds to a smart win (Pic – Pauline Herman)
A gelding who broke the Fairview 800m track record on debut in December 2021, Cruise Control played a few games at the start, before breaking on terms and fighting jockey JP van der Merwe. After taking on his older and very quick stablemate Stranger Danger early, Cruise Control (9-4) drew clear to beat top division performer Whatever Next (6-1) by an extending 3,50 lengths in a nippy 3,50 lengths.
Longshot Ziets Oosthuizen runner Paris Rix (50-1) was a quarter length back in third.
The Boland Stud-bred Cruise Control, who races for Mauritius-based owner Vicky Veeramootoo is a son of the outstanding Querari (Oasis Dream) out of the Sail From Seattle mare, Eurythmics.
A R200 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Cruise Control has won 4 races from 6 starts for stakes of R245 313.
