Nu What's New leads start to finish in Oaklawn Mile
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Nu What’s New continued his dream meet at Oaklawn Park on Saturday when he led throughout to win the Grade 3, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile before a record ontrack crowd of 73,000.
The race was part of the Arkansas Derby Day card. Officials said attendance exceeded the past record set on the corresponding card in 2006, when the ontrack number reached 72,484.
Nu What’s Nu ($5.80) was moved to the lead at the start Saturday as Full Serrano broke very awkwardly and spotted the field a number of lengths. Nu What’s Nu went on to set fractions of 23.51 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.90 for the half-mile and 1:11.78 for six furlongs. He covered the mile distance – in a configuration that ended at the sixteenth pole – in 1:37.34.
It was the third win at the meet for Nu What’s New, who won his maiden over Publisher in his first two-turn dirt start Dec. 26 at Oaklawn. He then won a first-level allowance route at the track Feb. 5, then ran second to Magnitude in the Grade 3, $500,000 Essex Handicap on Feb. 28.
“He’s just a horse who was begging for the distance,” winning rider Luis Saez told track publicity at Oaklawn. “When he [stretched out] he turned into a different horse. Today, he won a big race with tough horses. It was a pretty big step forward.”
Saez was aboard for trainer Jimmy DiVito.
Nu What’s New was the favorite on a day when Magnitude won the Dubai World Cup and Publisher captured the $135,000 American Pharoah overnight stakes a few races before the Oaklawn Mile.
Nu What’s New was a three-quarter-length winner over East Avenue. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Neoequos.
“He’s a very game horse,” Saez said of Nu What’s New.
Full Serrano finished fourth, beaten just 2 3/4 lengths total after the awkward start in which the 2024 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner spotted the field several lengths.
“It’s so unfortunate,” jockey Antonio Fresu, who was aboard Full Serrano, told publicity. “He stumbled really bad out of the gate and I think that cost him the race. That was it.”
Nu What’s New is a son of Munnings who races for Doubledown Stables.
*** Publisher, the runner-up in last year’s Arkansas Derby, was a 1 1/2-length winner over Echo Again in the American Pharoah. He covered the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.51.
Erik Asmussen was aboard the winner for his trainer, Steve Asmussen.
Publisher has now won his last three starts. The son of American Pharoah races for Gus King and the Estate of Brereton C. Jones.
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