Cruise Mode Retired After Speed Star Sorrow

DEVASTATED connections of Cruise Mode have closed the door on a racetrack return after the gifted chaser succumbed to a hock fracture at Sandown Park on Wednesday night.  

The daughter of Fernando Bale and Tyche Diamond was in full flight in a Speed Star Match Race (515m) against Professor Snitch before going amiss in the run much to the despair of trainer Paul Abela.

"Totally shattered – as tough a night as I've had at the races," a despondent Abela said.

"She led and went 5.04 and 18.76 and was airborne. I've got no doubt she would have run between 29.10 and 29.20 the way she was humming along.

No cruising here

CRUISE MODE continued her recent hot form by winning in smart time at @sandowndogs.

Make sure CRUISE MODE is in your Watchdog Blackbook so you don't miss her next run ?#GreyhoundRacing #PremierRacing pic.twitter.com/RwIJvH3yZh

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) December 29, 2022

"Instead of going home as the winner of the Speed Star she'll now never race again. It's a tough game. Makes you question everything you're doing.

“I lost Idyllic Eagle the day before so it's been a real tough couple of days.”

Cruise Mode retires to the breeding barn as the winner at eight of her 28 starts, plucked from relative obscurity when purchased by Abela for owner George Alvaro in October last year following a handful of starts.

"She's retired," Abela said. "Des Fegan inserted a screw this morning and said they've come back to racing from worse but she's just too valuable as a brood bitch so we'll move that way.

"The boys have a Barcia Bale straw for her which is pretty exciting."

Included in Cruise Mode's sparkling times was a 33.83 win over the 595m at Sandown Park and a blinding 29.64 performance at The Meadows over 525m.

“It was all ahead of her,” Abela lamented.

“We had some big spring targets planned for her and I really do believe she would have run 700m which she could have been anything over.”