Durante outduels Acoustic Ave to win Grade 3 John A. Nerud Stakes

Durante turned a six-furlong sprint into a statement about age, durability and timing, outdueling Acoustic Ave by a neck in the Grade 3 John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont at the Big A. The 7-year-old gelding stopped the clock in 1:10.45 on a track listed as good, giving owner-trainer David Jacobson a graded stakes prize with a horse whose best work may not be done yet.

The race unfolded exactly the way a seasoned sprinter can make it count. Acoustic Ave went first to the front and carved out an opening quarter in 22.50 seconds and a half-mile in 45.54, but Durante stayed in touch under Ricardo Santana Jr., sat forwardly placed, and found another gear in the final furlong. He ran down Acoustic Ave from the outside and finished with enough left to secure the win, while Acoustic Ave held second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Full Moon Madness. Silver Slugger, Radio Red and One Nine Hundred completed the field.

For Jacobson, the victory carried extra weight because he trains and owns Durante. That dual role makes every graded stakes check feel more personal, and this one was worth $96,250 from the $175,000 purse. It also came with a message for a division that often leans toward younger upside: a hard-knocking older horse can still control the terms of a major sprint if the placement is right and the ride is patient.

Durante carried 124 pounds, matching the highest winning weight in the race's history, and he did it in a race with deep roots. The John A. Nerud Stakes traces its history to 1976, though the event began in 2008 as the James Marvin Stakes, became the Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes in 2014 and took the John A. Nerud name in 2019 in honor of Hall of Fame trainer John Nerud. Eternal Star owns the race's fastest winning time, 1:08.79 in 2008, a mark that still underscores how demanding this sprint can be.

The performance also strengthened the case that Durante's 2025 resurgence was no fluke. He had already won the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Stakes at Belmont at the Big A by 2 3/4 lengths and later added the Grade 3 Aristides Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 31, 2025, at 33-1. Saturday's score, his second victory in this comeback run under Jacobson, suggested a horse that still travels well, handles pace pressure and remains dangerous when the field starts to tire.

On a Belmont at the Big A stakes card that also included the Ruffian Stakes, Peter Pan Stakes and Take the A Train Stakes, Durante supplied the day’s most compelling older-horse storyline. It was not just a feel-good upset; it looked like a form signal from a sprinter who still has the professionalism, fitness and placement to matter next time.