Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Shark Gesture Looks for More Challenges
The Big Horse Heads to Dover Next

November 2, 2006

SharkGesture

Shark Gesture Wins the Breeders Crown 3YO Pace for George Brennan

Coming off his seemingly improbable win in the $610,000 Breeders Crown for three-year-old male pacers, Shark Gesture will set his sights on the Progress Pace at Dover Downs in Delaware. Entries are due by noon Tuesday; eliminations, if necessary, will be held Sunday and the $350,000 final is November 12.

Shark Gesture, driven by George Brennan, won the Breeders Crown last Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto just one week after being involved in an accident that resulted in another horse being euthanized and driver John Campbell being sent to the hospital with a fractured leg. Shark Gesture, who crumpled to his knees after interference from Total Truth as the horses neared the finish line, suffered superficial cuts to his legs, chest and nose.

"That win was a little sweeter just because of everything that happened the week before," said trainer Ervin Miller, who won his fourth Breeders Crown trophy. "It was nice to get him back and get the job done. I was a little worried about being OK at that high rate of speed, but he seemed good warming up. I thought he’d be all right."

It was Shark Gesture’s seventh win in 13 starts this year and increased his seasonal earnings to $565,907. The colt has won six of his last eight races – and the other two were second-place finishes. Heading into the Crown elims on October 21, no horse had finished within three lengths of Shark Gesture in his previous three starts at Lexington’s Red Mile.

"Prior to the elims, I thought he had every chance," Miller said. "I thought we were supposed to be as good as any of them; he didn’t have any easy trips at Lexington and dominated a little there. Right now, I just think he keeps getting a little better and better. I think he’s just starting to come around while some of the other colts are tapering off."

Shark Gesture is by Cam’s Card Shark out of the mare Simple Gesture, who is a half sister to $1.5-million-earner Ponder. Shark Gesture raced only once this year prior to July’s Meadowlands Pace eliminations, where he finished fifth. He also was fifth in the Meadowlands Pace final, followed by two more off-the-board finishes.

"He’s a big horse, so it took him a while to get to this form," Miller said. "He’s not a trip horse; he doesn’t need to have things go his way. He’s just one of those horses that keeps getting