Gesture’s Rider was Looking for Cylinder

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 934, 29 March 1930, Page 12

Gesture’s Rider was Looking for Cylinder

Crack Youngster to Miss Ellerslie

By her meritorious win in the - Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes j at Awapuni last Wednesday, the ‘ Chief Ruler filly Gesture consolidated her claims to the two-year-old crown of the present season. Few will dispute the fact that Gesture is entitled to be classed as the best of our youngsters seen out to date. Missing in her first outing—and that was on the Wanganui course, where even champion two-year-olds might be vanquished as often as not — sh.© has now won her last six races on end. Her success in the Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie on Boxing Day ! was clear-cut, there not being the suspicion of a fluke about it. Hall-mark of Brilliancy Her next outing was in a handicap at Trentham, and then she carried a regular poultice. The result was never in doubt, for when she was asked to go on and win it is said that she moved so fast that she nearly left her pilot in mid-air! That may be an exaggeration, but not so much as might appear. It is probable that Wednesday’s win was her best, for she was able to produce all that brilliancy that one expects to see in a near-champion. She was asked to concede smart ones such as Cylinder and Hard Words 61b in weight, tile filly having caught the maximum penalty of 141 b, and with the sex allowance under the weight-for-age scale she was actually giving them 81b. Did Not Worry ThG start of Wednesday’s race was first-class, and it could not be said that any one youngster received the best of it at the outset. B. IT. Morris allowe Gesture to find her feet, being content to let tli€> lighter weights make the pace. Hard Words carried the field along at a nice bat, the first couple of furlongs taking 25 and the halfmile 49 2-5, and it was this excellent turn of speed that enabled the Diacquenod gelding to cross over from the outside and take the rails. On the other hand, Gesture was three horses out when the field came across the top. but her pace carried her up into second place, a length behind the leader, as they actually hit the straight. Jenny Diver at this stage began a good move, and for *a short time it looked as if she would be in it, too. Neck-and - Neck It did not take the hot favourite — for Gesture was at odds on—long to range alongside Hard Words, and for a brief distance they ran neck-and-neck, before she began to forge ahead. It certainly did not look promising when her rider gave her a few cuts with the whip, but she was only being sluggish, and the reminder made a vast difference in a

, few yards, for Gesture soon left the Aucklander. | That was the end of it, for Gesture i | went on to win comfortably by a ; couple of lengths from Mr. E. Earl’s j gelding, and the time was excellent on what was perhaps a dead track. Lim- 1 erick and Thaw both ran better than the Chief Ruler filly's 1.27 3-5 on Wed- j nesday. It was definitely announced at Awapuni that Gesture will leave for Sydney next week with others of H. Lorigan's team, her special mission on the other side being the Easter Stakes, a j thousand-pounder in which she will have the maximum penalty but will not be opposed by the cracks, who will have the classic* to look after. And [ Gesture is not in these. Tons of Speed There is no doubt as to the turn of ' speed that Hard Words can muster j up, and get into his stride quickly, i When the whip was produced on Ges- j ture as she came alongside Hard , Words it really seemed as if Hard j Words was going too well, and this j made Morris uneasy. Really the true explanation of this was that Gesture had the race in hand, and her rider wanted to make a certainty of it. Morris looked round, apparently . looking for Cylinder, but this colt had unfortunately fallen after going two furlongs. It was a tragedy that Cylinder j should have gone out of the race so j soon, for although it was too early i in the piece to say that he would j have beaten either Gesture or Hard > Words, he was going so well and was j so nicely positioned on the rails that he might have made the winner’s task easier. The result of the inquiry into the fall showed that Cylinder got on • Jenny Diver’s heels. * The colt seemed none the worse for his experience, and j neither did Wiggins, who was sent high j into the air. Her Best to Date The race run by Jenny Diver was probably her best to date. At the bottom of the straight she was going so strongly that it looked as if she would get second. She faded out 50 J yards from the post. Of tho others, Autopay showed pa*e ! for five furlongs, and so did Sir ! Limond. Lineage was well back in the { early part and did beat one horse j home. Chrysology knocked himself the day before the race and that explains his absence from the Sires’ Produce Stakes ' field. It is not known just how seri- ' ous it is, but it is to be hoped that he will be all right and able to take ‘ his place in tho Champagne Stakes | • at Ellerslie on Easter Saturday. That j event now looks all in favour of Cylin- j dex*, unless Royal Ruler and Hard i Words can rise to the occasion. The j distance may again beat the latter, although Royal Ruler is a sticker. |