KSR Today: Day after the Kentucky Derby
The biggest yearly event in the Bluegrass State took place on Saturday evening at Churchill Downs. In front of more than 156,000 patrons, the 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby was one that will be talked about for a long time.
At 18/1, Mystik Dan secured the bed of roses winning the biggest race in the sport with a time of 2:03.34. But we needed some photo evidence to confirm. The Derby was three-wide approaching the finish line with Mystik Dan holding off favorite Sierra Leone (9/2) and Forever Young (6/1).
A $2 exacta paid out $258.56, and a $1 trifecta including Forever Young paid a massive $1,113.84. It was a good day at the track for those who hit their wild trifecta box bets. Lexington’s own Kenny McPeek pulled off the rare double-dip at Churchill Downs over the weekend serving as the winning trainer in the Oaks and Derby. That has not happened since 1952.
We had a historic weekend at the track. Now Mystik Dan will chase after the Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes (May 18) will host the second leg of the Triple Crown in 13 days.
But, for now, we’re closing the book on another thrilling Derby week and diving into what’s next here at KSR Today.
Multiple Kentucky stars attend Derby
Every year we see the Kentucky Derby bring out its fair share of celebrities. NFL players are easy to find, and there are some regulars (Kid Rock, Joey Fatone, and Travis Tritt) that can be found at a derby party somewhere in Louisville on Friday night. But there was also a fair share of Kentucky stars.
Mark Pope, Reed Sheppard and family, and Will Levis were each in attendance at the biggest spectacle in horse racing. I’m sure no good times were had on Millionaires Row.
Kentucky stars at the 150th Kentucky Derby
Jack Harlow, Jimmy Fallon, Martha Stewart, Travis Kelce, and Aaron Rodgers were some of the other celebrities at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Game 3 at Kentucky Proud Park
After a tough Friday night against No. 2 Arkansas at home where the offense just could not get rolling and the bullpen let No. 8 Kentucky down in a blowout loss, Nick Mingione’s squad turned the tables on Saturday afternoon at home.
Kentucky (34-10, 17-6) got a pair of doubles from Emilien Pitre as the second baseman recorded four RBIs. The Wildcats also got a double and four RBIs from designated hitter Nick Lopez in the 11-3 win over Arkansas (40-8, 17-6). But the story of this game was the pitching.
Starter Dominic Niman gave Kentucky 5.1 innings allowing only five hits and two runs. The Bat Cats then got 3.2 innings of work from Robert Hogan, Travis Smith, and Ryan Hagenow out of the bullpen. The trio combined to allow only three hits, one run, and struck out five batters. The win was one of Kentucky’s best team performances of the season.
Arkansas and Kentucky are tied for the best record in the SEC and will play a huge rubber match on Sunday. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m. ET/Noon CT on SEC Network Plus. KSR will have full coverage both at KSBoard as well as a game recap after the contest.
Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs moved to the second round on Saturday evening with the Minnesota Timberwolves going on the road and stealing Game 1 from the Denver Nuggets. Former Kentucky star Karl-Anthony Towns poured in 20 points on 13 shot attempts, but Anthony Edwards stole the show with 43 points of 17 of 29 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists in 42 minutes.
The Minnesota-Denver series figures to be one of the best ones we will see all playoffs. Game 2 will take place on Monday night in Denver. Before the other second round games get here, we have a Game 7 to get through.
The Orlando Magic knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 on Friday night to force a sudden death situation in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 series in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell dropped 50 points, but it was not enough for Cleveland to get to 100 points.
The home team has yet to lose in this series, the Cavs just snuck out a 104-103 win in Game 5. Can Mitchell will his team to the second round to face No. 1 seed Boston, or will the Magic’s young star trio (Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner) get the franchise into the second round for the first time since 2010?
Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m. ET/Noon CT on ABC. BBNBA will have more later today on the latest in the NBA playoffs.
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