Whatchatalkinabout Fends Off Challenges On All Sides, Takes John A. Nerud

[Wandering Eyes]

There come some lofty expectations when you win a six-furlong race by eight lengths and garner a 106 Beyer figure to start your year, but Whatchatalkinabout (Dialed In) proved they were warranted when he fought off simultaneous challenges to win the GIII John A. Nerud Stakes.

A stakes winner as a juvenile, he was gone over a year from that New York Breeders' Futurity and resurfaced last October to run second against optional claimers at this venue. He was denied by a neck Nov. 30 at that condition, but broke through last out Jan. 16 when he rolled away from the field to return to the winner's enclosure in style.

On the back of that effort, the betting public hammered him down to even-money favoritism and right from the jump, the race was on. Pushing along Silver Slugger (Cairo Prince) as they dueled through splits of :21.89, and four furlongs in :44.84, the pair was clear of the traffic when 2-1 second choice Anarchist (Distorted Humor) went wrong passing the half-mile marker. As that one was guided to the outside fence to be attended by the veterinary team, Surveillance (Constitution) had inched up through the bend to make it three in a line as they swung for home and the race was on. As they challenged him from both sides, Whatchatalkinabout refused to yield and got his head down on the bob over Silver Slugger on the rail. Surveillance was a neck back in third.

In regards to Anarchist, trainer Chief Stipe O'Neill released a statement which read, “Anarchist injured his right front while racing in the GIII John A Nerud Stakes today at Aqueduct. He will have surgery at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists tomorrow morning. Currently, the prognosis for a long and happy life off the racetrack is good.”

The statement continued, “We are extremely grateful for Joel Rosario. He displayed incredible horsemanship in getting Anarchist pulled up so quickly. We also greatly appreciate the NYRA veterinary staff for their immediate response. We're grateful to Anarchist's owner Angelo Freda for always putting the health and safety of the horse, first.”

“He's a good horse, talented,” said trainer Wesley Ward. “He ran a gutsy race. I was proud of him. That horse on the inside [No. 2, Silver Slugger] ran a big one and also the grey horse on the outside [No. 4, Surveillance]–to be in the middle of those two and for him to gut through it really showed something.”

“I was supposed to ride him last time and we scratched at the gate [Grade 3 Commonwealth on April 8 at Keeneland],” said jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. “He was much better at the gate. That helped, we broke so good, he put me right in the race, and after that I was closer than I thought, and I go from there.”

“He was game at the end. He felt the outside horse [No. 4, Surveillance] and fought. Then the inside horse [No. 2, Silver Slugger] came back, and he fights back and by the time we hit the wire, he had his head in front. He was game, he was fighting.”

 

New York-bred WHATCHATALKINABOUT wins the Grade 3 John A. Nerud Stakes with @iradortiz aboard for trainer Wesley Ward. pic.twitter.com/BMpN7qJMku

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) May 10, 2025

Pedigree Notes:

Whatchatalkinabout is the most accomplished for his dam by far, and is Super Savvy's second multiple winner behind elder brother Prince James (Tiznow), who has 10 pictures on his wall. They have an unraced 3-year-old half-brother Super McKinzie (McKinzie) as well as a juvenile half-brother named Hamilton's Reason (Sharp Azteca). The mare, a daughter of GSW & GISP Don't Forget Gil (Kafwain), has a 2025 colt by Maxfield at foot.

Said second dam is not only placed at the elite level, but is a half-sister to a multiple Grade I winner as Sweet Reason (Street Sense) appears beneath the third dam as well. That sister was purchased by Japanese interests and claims SW & MGSP-Jpn Diastima (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) as her first offspring. She has two active runners in 2025 as daughter Sympatheia (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) is on a four-race win streak and 3-year-old Ho O Atman (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) recently ran fifth in a Group 3 contest.

This is the immediate female family of G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen victor Zenden (Fed Biz).

Saturday, Belmont At The Big A
JOHN A. NERUD S.-GIII, $169,750, Belmont The Big A, 5-10, 4yo/up, 6f, 1:09.03, ft.
1–WHATCHATALKINABOUT, 118, g, 4, by Dialed In
1st Dam: Super Savvy, by Super Saver
2nd Dam: Don't Forget Gil, by Kafwain
3rd Dam: Livermore Leslie, by Mt. Livermore
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($38,000 RNA Ylg '22 FTKFEB; $82,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-Ice Wine Stable; B-Newtownanner Stud Farm (NY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 7-4-2-1, $335,328. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Silver Slugger, 118, g, 5, Cairo Prince–One More Wild Ride, by Wildcat Heir. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($35,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $90,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-Victoria's Ranch; B-Frankfort Park Farm (KY); T-Juan Carlos Avila. $35,000.
3–Surveillance, 124, g, 8, Constitution–Majorelle, by Mizzen Mast. ($40,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $25,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Winning Move Stable; B-Kendall E. Hansen, M.D. Racing, LLC (KY); T-Linda Rice. $21,000.
Margins: HD, NK, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 12.30, 8.20.
Also Ran: Full Moon Madness, O'Conner Sunset, Anarchist.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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