KSR Today: Happy Oaks Day!

It’s a weekend every Kentuckian is proud of as the national attention shifts over to the Bluegrass State for 48 hours, starting with the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, followed by the Derby on Saturday. Louisville becomes the place to be for the richest and most famous, bringing out the gaudiest outfits and hats they can find as they bet on horse racing and drink fancy cocktails from the moment they arrive until they fly out on their private jets on Sunday. It’s a combination of those people and the Nick Roushes of the world in the infield, coming together in perfect harmony without a care in the world beyond the exacta box in race three.

Today is about the best three-year-old fillies in the sport battling under the lights of Churchill Downs for the 152nd running of the Oaks, with a unique 8:40 p.m. ET post time allowing for the state to own the NBC primetime window — right where it belongs.

You know the drill: 14 horses, 1 1/8 miles in the Grade I Stakes with a $1.5M purse. Let’s dig in.

Oaks Post Positions and Morning Odds

1. Explora (8/1)

• Trainer: Bob Baffert
• Jockey: Flavien Prat

2. Zany (9/2)

• Trainer: Todd Pletcher
• Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

3. Search Party (42/1)

• Trainer: Mark Casse
• Jockey: Christian Torres

4. Counting Stars (10/1)

• Trainer: Mark Casse
• Jockey: Francisco Arrieta

5. Meaning (8/1)

• Trainer: Michael McCarthy
• Jockey: Juan Hernandez

7. Dazzling Dame (40/1)

• Trainer: Brittany Russell
• Jockey: Luis Saez

9. Always A Runner (5/1)

• Trainer: Chad Brown
• Jockey: Jose Ortiz

10. Prom Queen (7/1)

• Trainer: Brad Cox
• Jockey: Javier Castellano

11. Percy’s Bar (4/1)

• Trainer: Ben Colebrook
• Jockey: Luan Machado

13. Pashmina (23/1)

• Trainer: Rob Atras
• Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

14. Brooklyn Blonde (28/1)

• Trainer: Michael McCarthy
• Jockey: Kazushi Kimura

15. Lovely Grey (6/1)

• Trainer: Kelsey Danner
• Jockey: Dylan Davis

16. Nycon (72/1)

• Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman
• Jockey: Jaime Torres

17. Resist (65/1)

• Trainer: Thomas Drury Jr.
• Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Roush has everything you need to know about the Kentucky Oaks 152 — including our resident horse racing expert’s official picks — right here.

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KSR takes on Churchill Downs

Speaking of Roush, he’s taking on Oaks Day with KSR’s Steven Peake following him around with his fancy video equipment — guaranteed to be the most ridiculous content ever created. Will they find Louisville fans drinking Crown Royal out of trash bags? How many locals will be passed out drunk in the infield? Will Roush be passed out drunk in the infield? We’ll put the odds of that at +175 here on this beautiful Friday morning.

Mix in a little water here and there, bud.

Until then, catch up on KSR’s YouTube content from the track throughout the week, including a behind-the-scenes look at the backside of Churchill Downs and a one-on-one interview with University of Kentucky alum and Derby winner Kenny McPeek.

Take a look:

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

John Wall becomes President of Basketball Operations at Howard

It’s not all about horse racing on Oaks Day — there is always room for some Kentucky basketball. The biggest news on Thursday came in the form of Wildcat great John Wall accepting a position with a college program that is not his alma mater. Instead, No. 11 will be the new president of basketball operations at Howard in Washington, D.C., where he was a legend with the Wizards during his 13-year pro career.

“Wall has already taken a hands-on approach to the role at Howard, playing an active role in team meetings and evaluations of recruits and transfer targets,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. “He has helped shape the program’s overall strategic vision with focus on roster management, name, image, and likeness deals, revenue sharing, agent negotiations and player mentorship.”

Wait, isn’t that exactly what Kentucky needs right now? Why did Mark Pope not make that phone call? Steph Curry, Trae Young and Jayson Tatum all have front office roles with their old schools. Sure would be nice to have that with Wall in Lexington.

Big nights for former Wildcats in the NBA Playoffs

Speaking of BBNBA stars, the Wildcats had several of them last night in the NBA Playoffs, led by Karl-Anthony Towns with a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the beatdown of all beatdowns for the Knicks over the Hawks, winning 140-89 — a game they led by 50 points before halftime. He only took four shots, but helped led New York to a massive series-clinching victory (4-2).

Elsewhere, Julius Randle was also on the winning side of a series victory for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Denver Nuggets. He went for 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds in the 110-98 victory. Jamal Murray added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.

As for the third game of the night, it was the Tyrese Maxey show in Philadelphia, leading the Sixers to a 106-93 victory to extend the series and force a Game 7 in Boston. He went for a team-high 30 points to go with five assists, two rebounds and two steals in the win. Justin Edwards also added two points and five rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.

Now, as KSR’s only die-hard Celtics fan, I’m going to have to politely ask Maxey to cut the crap in the series finale on Saturday.

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That’s all for this morning, folks, but we’ve got content rolling all day here at KSR HQ. Stay with us on this beautiful Oaks Friday as we get you ready for all of the horse racing you could ever dream of this weekend. Enjoy it all and go Cats.