The $169,750 John A. Nerud Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack was short on competitors, but not on drama. Three sprinters battled to a photo finish, with Whatchatalkinabout narrowly prevailing over Silver Slugger and Surveillance.
Whatchatalkinabout, who chased pacesetting Silver Slugger through fractions of :21.89 and :44.84 in the six-furlong race, was courageous in the lane, inching past Silver Slugger and repelling a three-wide bid from Surveillance to hit the wire under Irad Ortiz Jr. in 1:09.03. Whatchatalkinabout ($4) scored by a head over runner-up Silver Slugger, with the latter a neck ahead of show finisher Surveillance.
"He was game; he was fighting," Ortiz said.
The six-horse race was marred by a right front leg injury to Anarchist, the race's second favorite, who was pulled up on the backstretch. He was transported to Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists for surgery.
The winner, a 4-year-old New York-bred Dialed In gelding owned by Ice Wine Stable and trained by Wesley Ward, notched his first graded stakes win in his initial attempt in such company. A stakes winner in the state-bred ranks as a 2-year-old, he is now 4-2-1 in seven starts with earnings of $335,328.
Bred by Newtownanner Stud Farm out of the Super Saver mare Super Savvy, Whatchatalkinabout was a $82,000 purchase by Ben McElroy, agent for Wesley Ward, from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment to the 2022 Fasig Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale.
Dialed In stands at Darby Dan Farm for $15,000.
