KSR Today, presented by NYRA Bets: Kentucky Oaks 149 is here!

Rise and shine, Big Blue Nation! The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and Derby Weekend is here, starting with the 149th running of the Kentucky Oaks this evening. 13 races on Oaks Day, headlined by the Longines Kentucky Oaks and its purse of $1.25 million in race 11. Post time is scheduled for 5:51 p.m. ET.

Gates are now open, while the first race is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Here are the Kentucky Oaks Day post times from start to finish:

1. 10:30 a.m.
2. 11 a.m.
3. 11:30 a.m.
4. 12:05 p.m.
5. 12:43 p.m.
6. 1:26 p.m.
7. 2:09 p.m.
8. 3:03 p.m.
9. 4:04 p.m.
10. 4:51 p.m.
11. 5:51 p.m.
12. 6:25 p.m.
13. 7 p.m.

Betting odds for the Kentucky Oaks

Who are the favorites in race 11? Brad Cox’s Wet Paint (No. 7) is the morning-line favorite at 5-2, followed by Botanical (No. 6) at 4-1, Southlawn (No. 4) at 8-1 and Affirmative Lady (No. 13) and Pretty Mischievous (No. 14) both at 10-1.

Check out the latest morning odds below:

1. Mimi Kakushi (20-1)
2. The Alys Look (15-1)
3. Gambling Girl (15-1)
4. Southlawn (8-1)
5. Wonder Wheel (12-1)
6. Botanical (4-1)
7. Wet Paint (5-2)
8. Promiseher America (30-1)
9. And Tell Me Nolies (15-1)
10. Flying Connection (15-1)
11. Defining Purpose (12-1)
12. Dorth Vader (20-1)
13. Affirmative Lady (10-1)
14. Pretty Mischievous (10-1)
15. Taxed (20-1)
16. Julia Shining (15-1)
17. Hoosier Philly (30-1)

Tickets

All-inclusive reserved and box seating, dining and hospitality, infield final turn and infield general admission tickets remain for today, those all found here. There are also two-day packages of infield general admission and reserved seating tickets for both Oaks and Derby, that direct link found here.

Tips for Derby Weekend at Churchill Downs

Are you making your way to Louisville for Derby Weekend? KSR’s resident horse expert Nick Roush — who may be a few Lillies deep at the time of publication — has some tips and tricks to make the most of your time at Churchill Downs.

1. There is free parking for some Churchill Downs patrons
2. Wear comfortable shoes
3. Bring cash
4. A poncho is a good idea
5. Mix in a water
6. Infield necessities: water bottles, lunch in a clear Ziploc bag, granola bars and crackers, foldable chairs or a big blanket/tarp (purses and bags are permitted as long as they are smaller than one foot in any dimension)
7. Bring your own cigars (but not your cutter)
8. Don’t bet on Rich Strike

Get all the extra details here.

All of the Derby video content you could ever need

Have some time to kill on your way to the track? Need some background listening or something to put on your TV as you prepare for your Oaks and Derby parties at home? The KSR YouTube channel has you covered. In fact, it’s more content than you could ever dream of.

Roush talks to horse racing expert Pete Fornatale about the Derby:

Tom Leach, the Voice of the Wildcats, joins 11 Personnel to talk Derby:

Kentucky Derby trainers preview the Run for the Roses:

Derby announcer takes KSR inside the booth on race day:

Derby expert and WAVE3 news anchor John Boel gives KSR his picks and tips for the big race:

Zero excuses to not find some winners in there somewhere.

Hunter Dickinson commits to Kansas

Thurby was one heck of a day for Kentucky basketball news regarding the 2023-24 roster, headlined by Michigan star transfer Hunter Dickinson’s decision to commit to Kansas over the Wildcats, among a host of other schools.

It was an announcement that dramatically shifted the betting lines regarding early title favorites, with Kansas jumping all the way up to No. 2 in college basketball at 11/1. That’s behind only Duke, who sits comfortably at 10/1. On the flip side, Kentucky dropped from 11/1 to 18/1 following Dickinson’s decision, tied for seventh overall.

There was plenty of NIL talk surrounding Dickinson’s commitment and the money the Jayhawks were willing to throw his way to seal the deal. Coincidentally, John Calipari went out of his way to confirm his program does not hand out financial guarantees like other programs do when recruiting players.

“You do not come to Kentucky because of NIL,” Calipari told John Fanta of Fox Sports. “You’ll do better here because of what happens when you are a player here. You’ll do well in NIL here, but if that’s the overriding thing, you’re not coming here.”

Calipari talks potential return of Oscar Tshiebwe

The Kentucky head coach also discussed NIL in a separate interview with Dan Patrick, similar talking points and overall message: no guarantees in Lexington. In that conversation, though, he addressed the possibility of former national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe returning to UK for his final season of eligibility.

The 6-foot-9 center has until May 31 to decide whether he will keep his name in the draft or return to college. And Calipari says that while he wants Tshiebwe to thoroughly explore his pro options to see if it’s time to achieve his dreams, he’d welcome his return with open arms.

“My thing, right now, is to do everything I can to help Oscar get in that league because I believe he’ll stay,” Calipari said. “Do I want to coach Oscar another year? Yes! What am I, stupid? Stupid?! Yes, I want to coach him another year. But, if I’m doing right by him, I’ve gotta give him every opportunity to run this out and see exactly where he is. … I told him to go for it. If you want to come back, you can come back, but you’ve gotta go for it. Don’t shortchange yourself.”

Lance Ware goes portaling

Another roster domino fell in the form of a new portal addition in junior forward Lance Ware, set to explore his options after averaging 9.9 minutes per contest in 2022-23.

“With every journey there comes a time when we need to make an important decision on which direction to turn towards next. That time is now for me,” Ware announced. “Although I have loved being a part of Kentucky, being coached by a Hall of Famer and his tremendous staff and battling alongside my brothers day in and day out, it is time for me to take my next step. … I have decided to enter the transfer portal and explore my options to finish my collegiate career.”

John Calipari wished Ware the best, but added that if the Camden native doesn’t find what he’s looking for in the portal, he’s welcome to return to Lexington for his senior campaign.

“Lance has gotten better every year. He’s an exceptional leader & as good a teammate as I’ve ever coached. He knows he is welcome to return if he doesn’t find the opportunity he’s looking for,” Calipari said. “Lance is Ellen’s favorite player, so I’m really not looking forward to telling her the news.”

‘How about Lance?‘ Gone, but never forgotten.

Six more years of John Calipari?

How much longer will Coach Cal be in Lexington? He’s in no rush to leave. In fact, his plan is to stick around the remainder of his contract — all six years of it.

In his conversation with Dan Patrick, he said he wants to “get back to where we were” and that the Wildcats are “on a good path.”

“I want to do some special things here. We’ve got six years left to do some really good stuff,” Calipari said. “I’ve got six years on my contract. And I’m like saying, ‘Alright, let’s make this run. And let’s do some things.'”

Six more years would keep him in Lexington through the 2028-29 season. For now, that’s his goal.

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Enjoy the start of Derby Weekend, friends! Go Cats.