by Ken Jackson, for Kentuckiana Farms

Kentuckiana Farms is excited to announce that 2006 Breeders Crown champion Shark Gesture (br,c,2003), by Cam’s Card Shark out of Simple Gesture, by Western Hanover, will stand the 2008 breeding season at Kentuckiana Farms of Ontario, located at Emerald Ridge Farm of Rockwood, Ontario.

Kentuckiana Farms will serve as syndicate manager and along with Emerald Ridge Farm will manage his breeding career. Shark Gesture recently suffered a career-ending injury that forced his early retirement with career earnings of $1,003,189 and a lifetime mark of 1:49.1 at 3.

At 2, Shark Gesture established a record of 1:51.3 while winning the Bluegrass Stakes in Lexington, an elimination of the Breeders Crown and the Simpson Stakes.

At 3, Shark Gesture won the Simpson, Bluegrass, Tattersalls, and elimination of the Progress. More significantly, Shark Gesture showed tremendous courage winning the Breeders Crown at Woodbine after going down in the elimination race a week before in a horrible on-track accident.

“Shark Gesture showed the guts of a true champion winning the Breeders Crown after such a tragic accident the week before,” said his trainer, Erv Miller.

At 4, Shark Gesture won the $120,000 New Hampshire Sweepstakes at Rockingham in 1:49.2 over Artistic Fella, and was second in the $200,000 Dan Patch and the $285,000 Graduate.

Shark Gesture, a striking $110,000 yearling purchase, is a regally bred son of the great Cam’s Card Shark out of Simple Gesture, a Western Hanover daughter of multiple stakes winning Empty Feeling (1:53.1, $354,657) and three-quarter sister to the multiple stakes winning Ponder (1:48.1, $1,522,936). Shark Gesture is owned by Norman Smiley, Gerald Smiley, and the TLP Stable.

The 2008 service fee for Shark Gesture will be C$5,000. Plans are being made for Shark Gesture to begin his breeding career in Australia for the upcoming 2007-08 Southern Hemisphere breeding season.