Race 9 at Churchill Downs | Saturday, September 26 | Post Time: 4:58 PM Eastern  

Ack Ack Stakes – Grade 3 | Purse: $400,000 | One Mile | Three-Years-Old and Upward 

Top Win Contender(s): Nu What’s New (8), Bishops Bay (4) 

For second in exactas: Arrowthegreat (2), Owen Almighty (3) 

Nu What’s New (8) has won four of his six races since December. All those wins came with jockey Luis Saez, including three races at this distance of one mile. His most recent race came at Churchill Downs on June 28, but I’m not worried about the layoff, as his last race off a layoff was a win last December after two months off. He earned a 108 Equibase Speed Figure in the similar Grade 3 Hanshin Stakes. Nu What’s New led from the start in his first three wins, but in the Hanshin, he battled head-to-head for the lead in the first half, and he was ridden confidently for the win in the Oaklawn Mile. Nu What’s New beat Owen Almighty (3) in the Hanshin, and he beat East Avenue (7) in the Oaklawn Mile. He gets the outside post for the Ack Ack the same as he got in the Hanshin at Churchill Downs. In one race since December, Nu What’s New was beaten second in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap, when the winner was Magnitude, who then won the Group 1 Dubai World Cup Stakes. Nu What’s New is the horse to beat.  

Bishops Bay (4) won his first race of the year in his fourth start of the year. This was the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes, and he earned a 108 figure. In the Grade 3 Salvator Mile, he was beaten a nose by East Avenue and earned a strong 112 figure. Last fall, Bishops Bay won two one-turn races, the Grade 3 Forty Niner Stakes and the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap, earning a career-best 115 figure. However, Bishops Bay has never run at Churchill Downs, as compared to Nu What’s New, who just won at the track and the distance. If Bishop Bay can stick with Nu What’s New early, he can win.  

On exactas, we can use Arrowthegreat (2) and Owen Almighty (3). Arrowthegreat has won three straight races, all at this distance. He earned consistent figures of 114, 106 and 106. His last race on August 30 was off a one-year layoff. He can improve in his second race off the layoff.  

Owen Almighty finished two and a half lengths behind Nu What’s New in the Hanshin and also finished second in two other races at the distance. His only win this year came in the R. A. “Cowboy” Jones Stakes. His last three races earned 104, 105, and 104.  

Win bets: 

Nu What’s New (8) at odds of 7 to 5 or higher.  

Bishops Bay at odds of 2 to 1 or higher. 

Exactas:  

Box: Nu What’s New (8), Bishops Bay (4) 

Nu What’s New (8), Bishops Bay (4) over Nu What’s New (8), Bishops Bay (4), Arrowthegreat (2), Owen Almighty (3)