Whatchatalkinabout a formidable contender in $150K John Morrissey

Ice Wine Stable’s Grade 3-winner Whatchatalkinabout tops a loaded field for Thursday’s $150,000 John Morrissey, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-breds 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Wesley Ward, the 4-year-old Dialed In gelding was last seen posting a head victory under Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the Grade 3 John A. Nerud on May 10 at Belmont at the Big A, pressuring the pacesetting Silver Slugger through splits of 21.89 seconds and 44.84 before a coming out on the winning end of a prolonged stretch duel in a final time of 1:09.03. He earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. 

Whatchatalkinabout posted a bullet five-furlong work in 1:00.80 on July 22 at his home base of Keeneland. Ward had initially pointed the talented sprinter to the six-furlong Grade 1 Bing Crosby on July 26 at Del Mar, but said it made more financial sense to head to New York. 

“We were scheduled to go out there, but when we looked at travel expenses, it looked like we’d make just as much or more if we win this race as opposed to if we ran second there,” Ward said. “It looks like we’d have a better chance winning against New York-breds as well, so he’ll be on the van tonight to head up there.”

Though Ward had been training Whatchatalkinabout with the intention of running him at six furlongs, the veteran conditioner said he is not concerned about the extra furlong in the Morrissey. 

“I’ve trained him to run six, and now we’re going seven, but he’s a really good horse and I don’t think it will make that big of a difference,” Ward concluded. 

The Nerud, which marked the dark bay’s second career stakes win after taking Finger Lakes Racetrack’s New York Breeders’ Futurity in 2023, came four months after an eight-length trouncing of a six-furlong state-bred optional claimer on January 16 at Aqueduct Racetrack that produced a field-best 106 Beyer. 

“I don’t know exactly how it will shake out, but you’d have to think he’d be tough in there,” Ward said. “He ran a big effort with that big Beyer, so I gave him plenty of time and he won that nice race there in the Grade 3. He’s feeling good, bouncing around with lots of energy going on and off the racetrack, so if that’s any indication of how he’ll run, we’re looking good.”

Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, the consistent Whatchatalkinabout boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 7-4-2-1 with $335,328 in total purse earnings. He makes his longest start to date in the Morrissey, his farthest previous effort a narrow second in a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred optional claimer in October at the Big A. 

Ortiz, Jr. retains the mount from post 9. 

LSU Stables’ Bank Frenzy [post 2, Manny Franco] cuts back to seven furlongs off a 1 1/4-length score traveling nine-furlongs in the state-bred Commentator on June 4 here. 

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the chestnut son of Central Banker has received a Beyer of at least 90 in 8-of-9 starts for his conditioner, topped by a 98 earned for a 2 1/4-length win in the state-bred Haynesfield going a one-turn mile in April at the Big A. He has not traveled less than one mile since a neck second in the 2023 6 1/2-furlong NYSSS Times Square during his nine-start tenure with trainer Lisa Lewis. 

Rodriguez said he was pleased with the 5-year-old gelding’s half-mile breeze in 48.44 seconds over the Spa main track on July 24 with Manny Franco up. 

“He’s good and got a nice breeze with Manny. We’d like the race to be a little longer, but what are we going to do? He’s had five or six weeks off and we’ll see how the race unfolds,” Rodriguez said. “He fits in with the competition, I just don’t know about the distance.”

Rodriguez added he is confident Bank Frenzy can still utilize his stalking tactics at seven furlongs. 

“He’ll come up from behind. They’ve just got to play it by ear,” Rodriguez said. “Wherever you place him, he can be good, Manny just has to break from there and hopefully we get a good breather.”

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Bank Frenzy is a five-time stakes-winner for Rodriguez, and has banked over $500,000 since moving to the barn last summer. He has finished first or second in eight of his last nine starts, his only recent blemish an even fourth to the streaking Bishops Bay when stepping up to graded company in the Grade 3 Westchester on May 4 at Belmont at the Big A. 

“He’s very special,” Rodriguez said. “He’s the best horse in the barn and we don’t get many chances to train horses like him. Thank God we’ve got him in the barn.”

Massimino Rapuano’s stakes-winner Cicciobello [post 6, Jose Lezcano] makes his return off a more than eight-month layoff dating to a win in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble in November at the Big A. 

Trained by Derek Ryan, the 6-year-old Bellamy Road gelding got his neck down just in time in the Thunder Rumble, rallying from last-of-8 and 11 lengths back under returning rider Jose Lezcano to sweep past rivals in the lane with a six-wide move and nail General Banker in the shadow of the wire. 

Bred by My Way Stable, Cicciobello notched his first stakes win in the Thunder Rumble, and was a two-length fourth to Bank Frenzy in the state-bred Evan Shipman going one-mile from the Wilson Chute last summer here. 

Paradise Farms and David Staudacher’s multiple graded stakes-placed The Wine Steward [post 5, Flavien Prat] gets class relief on the heels of two distant off-the-board finishes in one-mile graded events for trainer Mike Maker. 

The 4-year-old Vino Rosso colt, bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and Mark Toothaker, looks to get back to the form that saw him earn a 96 Beyer for a neck score against open company in Oaklawn Park’s Listed Fifth Season in January, his first start since a distant ninth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets last June at the Spa. 

The chestnut colt was in career form as a juvenile and early sophomore, winning his first three starts that included stakes wins in the Listed Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs and the state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital here. 

He went on to finish a half-length second to subsequent top older horse Locked in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and returned as a sophomore to finish a three-quarter-length second in both the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland and the Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont at the Big A. 

Zilla Racing Stables, Black Jack Racing and Acqua Nova Stable’s Jackson Heights [post 8, Dylan Davis] enters off back-to-back wins at the Spa, where he holds an 8-3-2-1 record. 

Trained by Ilkay Kantarmaci, the 5-year-old Union Jackson gelding was winless when trained by Rob Atras for his first five starts this year, but has been perfect for Kantarmaci in two outings that began with a 1 3/4-length claiming score from 15 lengths off the pace sprinting six furlongs on June 8 here. He followed with a similar deep-closing win at this distance on July 5 when stepping up to a second-level optional claimer. 

Bred by Sequel Stallions New York, Jackson Heights seeks his second stakes win after taking the state-bred Bertram F. Bongard as a juvenile at Belmont at the Big A. 

Kantarmaci will also send out stakes-placed Dr. Kraft [post 1, Frankie Dettori], whom he co-owns with Zilla Racing Stable, Black Jack Racing and Steven Forst. The Sequel Stallions-bred son of The Lieutenant was a last-out winner of a state-bred optional claimer traveling nine-furlongs on June 20 at Belmont at the Big A. 

The competitive field is completed by Grade 2-winner Wynstock [post 3, John Velazquez] for trainer Fernando Abreu; Grade 3-placed Shadow Dragon [post 7, Javier Castellano] for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott; state-bred stakes-winners Light Man [post 13, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Bruce Levine, Doc Sullivan [post 12, Joel Rosario] for trainer John Ortiz and Sheriff Bianco [post 11, Jose Ortiz] for trainer Linda Rice; stakes-placed Quick to Accuse [post 10, Luis Saez] for trainer Michelle Giangiulio; and the stakes-debuting Caldo Candy [post 4, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Jim Bond. 

The Morrissey is slated as Race 9 on Thursday’s 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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