KSR Today: Happy Mother's Day, BBN!

Good morning, folks! And a Happy Mother’s Day to all the fantastic and deserving moms out there. It’s shaping up to be a great day for some outdoor brunch activities, which should be fun for all of the family members (just make sure mom gets first pick of what to do). For those of you who happened to bet on Rich Strike, everything is on you today, whether you like it or not.

Speaking of…

Rich Strike shocks the world

An 80-1 longshot pulled off the borderline impossible in the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby. Rich Strike, which nearly didn’t even run in the race had it not been for a late scratch, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in horse racing history. Not since 1913 had a horse with worse odds (Donerail 91-1) won the Derby.

The longshot came in first with an official time of 2:02.61, followed by Epicenter (4-1) and Zandon (6-1) in second and third, respectively. Simplification came in fourth, followed by Mo Donegal in fifth. The payouts were historic, with a $2 win bet cashing $163.60, a $2 exacta cashing $4,101.20, a $1 trifecta cashing $14,870.70, and a $1 superfecta hitting an absurd $321,500.10.

Jockey Sonny Leon rode an incredible race, hitting the boosters down the stretch to jet past half the field in a matter of seconds.

It was trainer Eric Reed’s first Derby win in his first appearance. Back in 2016, Reed lost two dozen horses following a tragic barn fire that occurred on his equine property in Lexington. It nearly forced him out of the business entirely, but he never gave up, and six years later is reaping the rewards.

“I don’t know how (to put the win into words),” Reed said after the win. “I fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire. I about passed out. I’m so happy. This is something, you know, is the reason everybody does this, because we’re not supposed to be here, but I knew this horse loved the track, and we’ve been training so good all year.”

The overhead view makes Rich Strike's comeback for the upset @KentuckyDerby win look even more incredible. 😮 #KyDerby | @ChurchillDowns pic.twitter.com/iDfkGVZS0O

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 8, 2022

Below is my favorite tweet from Saturday’s Derby:

Rich Strike was purchased for $30k last year & just won $1.8 million at the Kentucky Derby.

But rather than train, groom, and board the horse, you could have bet $30k on Rich Strike to win at 80-1 odds today & you would have won 2.4 million.

LESSON: Don't invest, just gamble.

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 7, 2022

As someone who observes gambling from the outside looking in, it sure is some wild stuff.

Bat ‘Cats steal series off No. 1 Tennessee

It doesn’t matter the time of year or the sport being played — beating Tennessee is always going to put a smile across the face of the Big Blue Nation. It’s even more thrilling when the Vols come to town as the premier team in all of college baseball. Kentucky Baseball dealt with some weather delays but pulled off their best Rich Strike impression to steal the first two games of the series against No. 1 ranked UT.

The ‘Cats didn’t manage to secure the sweep on Saturday, but Kentucky was thoroughly outplaying a squad that many considered to be one of the best overall college teams in years. For a UK team that hadn’t won any of its previous five SEC series, this was about as big of an upset as you can draw up. Kentucky still sits at just 26-21 on the season with a 9-15 mark in the SEC, but there is still a couple of series left on the schedule and there should be no excuse for a lack of energy moving forward after this type of upset.

Softball wraps up regular-season

Sunday marks the final game of the 2022 regular season for the Kentucky Softball ‘Cats, as they’ll try to win one more series before heading into the SEC Tournament, which is set for May 10-14.

Kentucky is down in Columbia, SC this weekend for a matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks, although the weather hasn’t been too kind. Friday’s game made it through the fifth inning before getting postponed until Saturday, which led to a doubleheader. UK would ultimately lose the resumed game early Saturday, 6-2, before knotting the series at 1-1 later in the day with a bounceback 11-1 victory.

The series-deciding game three is set for a noon EST first pitch and can be seen on the SEC Network.

May 7 is now Wan’Dale Robinson Day

The pride of Franklin County is being recognized for all he’s accomplished. May 7, 2022, will forever be known as Wan’Dale Robinson Day out in Frankfort, KY.

Robinson was recently selected No. 43 overall by the New York Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft.

this crazy… who would’ve thought we’d be here @DRobinson_Guru pic.twitter.com/bzNhaLz6J7

— Wan’Dale Robinson (@wanda1erobinson) May 7, 2022

BBNBA Playoffs back in action

Saturday’s game featured plenty of action (and some controversy), but without any former Kentucky Wildcats taking the floor. Sunday will change that though as we rotate back to the BBNBA doubleheader between the Phoenix Suns-Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat-Philadelphia 76ers.

3:30 pm. EST, ESPN: (1) Suns [Booker] @ (4) Mavericks | PHX leads 2-1

8:00 p.m. EST, TNT: (1) Heat [Adebayo, Herro] @ (4) 76ers [Maxey] | MIA leads 2-1

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That’s all the news and notes I have for you this morning. We’ll have more on Rhyne Howard’s WNBA debut and Kentucky Men’s Tennis advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships coming to the site very soon. There also might be a basketball commit on the way…