Good morning, folks! Nick Roush’s favorite day of the year has finally arrived — it’s time for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby.
Make sure to bring your umbrellas and ponchos to Churchill Downs, too. The weather forecast is calling for a day of clouds and rainy showers. It’s going to be a muddy day at the track for patrons and horses. You’ll hardly notice it after a few Kentucky mules, though. Good Cheer didn’t seem to mind the conditions, winning the Kentucky Oaks yesterday afternoon by multiple lengths, extending her winning streak to a perfect 7-7 in the process.
As of Saturday morning, we’re looking at a 7:02 p.m. ET post time for the annual Run for the Roses. Journalism remains the favorite at 7-2 morning odds, with two horses (Rodriguez and Grande) having been scratched. Bet and drink responsibly today, friends. Let’s make it a great one.
151st Kentucky Derby Odds (via FanDuel)
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citizen Bull | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 13-1 |
| 2 | Neoequos | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Luis Saez | 46-1 |
| 3 | Final Gambit | Brad Cox | Luan Machado | 15-1 |
| SCR | ||||
| 5 | American Promise | D. Wayne Lukas | Nik Juarez | 12-1 |
| 6 | Admire Daytona | Yukihiro Kato | Christophe Lemaire | 40-1 |
| 7 | Luxor Cafe | Noriyuki Hori | Joao Moreira | 10-1 |
| 8 | Journalism | Michael McCarthy | Umberto Rispoli | 7-2 |
| 9 | Burnham Square | Ian Wilkes | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 16-1 |
| SCR | ||||
| 11 | Flying Mohawk | Whit Beckman | Joe Ramos | 30-1 |
| 12 | East Avenue | Brendan Walsh | Manny Franco | 37-1 |
| 13 | Publisher | Steve Asmussen | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 29-1 |
| 14 | Tiztastic | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 18-1 |
| 15 | Render Judgment | Kenny McPeek | Julien Leparoux | 15-1 |
| 16 | Coal Battle | Lonnie Briley | Juan Vargas | 25-1 |
| 17 | Sandman | Mark Casse | Jose Ortiz | 9-2 |
| 18 | Sovereignty | Bill Mott | Junior Alvarado | 9-1 |
| 19 | Chunk of Gold | Ethan West | Jareth Loveberry | 28-1 |
| 20 | Owen Almighty | Brian Lynch | Javier Castellano | 40-1 |
| 21 | Baeza | John Shirreffs | Flavien Prat | 17-1 |
Which horse should you go with? Watch the video below for Nick Roush and Peter T. Fornatale’s picks. Get in the game with some help from our friends at NYRA Bets.
Sign up for the NYRA Bets Horse Racing app with promo code KSR25 to get an instant $25 Free Bet AND up to a $200 Deposit Match Bonus to bet the 151st Kentucky Derby! Bet it all now through May 3rd and get your bonus at nyrabets.com/KSR25.
Kentucky vs. Purdue in a preseason exhibition
Mark Pope is already taking advantage of a new rule allowing Division I teams to face other DI teams in the preseason. Kentucky will host Purdue in Rupp Arena in an exhibition game this fall, it was announced Friday. The Boilermakers are expected by many to be the preseason No. 1 team in the country. Kentucky will likely be among the Top 10. An already tough non-conference schedule for the Wildcats just got more difficult.
2025-26 non-conference schedule
- Oct. 24: vs. Purdue | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
- Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State | Champions Classic (New York)
- Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga | Nashville
- Dec. 13: vs. Indiana | Rupp Arena
- Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s | CBS Sports Classic (Atlanta)
- Dec. 23: vs. Bellarmine | Rupp Arena
- TBD: vs. Louisville | Louisville
- TBD: SEC/ACC Challenge (TBD)
- TBD: vs. NC Central | Rupp Arena
Saturday doubleheader in Starkville
Bad weather rained out Friday’s series opener between Kentucky and Mississippi State in Starkville, so we’ll have another Saturday doubleheader for the Bat Cats. This will mark the third doubleheader of the season for UK, which split the first two. The Bulldogs are coming off the recent firing of head coach Chris Lemonis while Kentucky is looking for its third straight SEC series win as we inch closer to the NCAA Tournament.
- Saturday, May 3, 2025 (Dudy Noble Field – 3:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nate Harris (4-2, 3.67 ERA, 41.2 IP) vs MSST: LHP Pico Kohn (4-2, 3.82 ERA, 61.1 IP) - Saturday, May 3, 2025 (Dudy Noble Field – 7:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nic McCay (4-0, 3.42 ERA, 52.2 IP) vs MSST: RHP Evan Siary (1-1, 4.09 ERA, 33.0 IP) - Sunday, May 4, 2025 (Dudy Noble Field – 1:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (5-2, 3.17 ERA, 59.2 IP) vs MSST: RHP Karson Ligon (4-5, 7.03 ERA, 39.2 IP)
[PREVIEW: Kentucky and Mississippi State meet in Starkville]
Oweh, Brea invited to NBA Draft Combine
The NBA announced Friday that Kentucky guards Otega Oweh and Koby Brea are among the 75 players invited to participate in the 2025 NBA Draft Combine. The likes of Amari Williams and Jaxson Robinson, among other ‘Cats, were not invited, but can still earn their way into a spot.
The annual Combine will be held from May 11-18 at Wintrust Arena (where DePaul and the Chicago Sky play) and the Marriott Marquis. This week-long showcase brings scouts and front office personnel from all 30 teams to one place for a first-hand look at the best draft-eligible prospects ahead of June’s NBA Draft. Oweh has until May 28 to either keep his name in the draft or return to UK.
Jasper Johnson in the Iverson Classic
Incoming Kentucky freshman Jasper Johnson is in Virginia this weekend for the annual Iverson Classic All-Star event. This marks the final All-Star game of the high school season and the final high-profile event Johnson will participate in before making his way to Lexington for the summer. Tonight’s game at The Hampton Coliseum is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Johnson was already putting in the work during Friday’s practice.
Jasper Johnson looking comfortable around star talent at the Iverson Classic practice today
@BruhJasperJ pic.twitter.com/fFQfmDzCs0
— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) May 3, 2025
A new contract for Mikhail McClean
Throughout the season, Pope continuously credited assistant coach Mikhail McClean with helping the season-long development of Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison. He was rewarded for his hard work in the offseason in the form of a deserved two-year pay raise.
McLean, only 33 years old as the youngest member on UK’s staff, will make $400,000 in base salary for the 2025-26 season and $425,000 for the 2026-27 season, according to the contract amendment signed on April 25. His initial deal was only a one-year contract worth $150,000. McLean will work with a mostly new group of frontcourt players in 2025-26: Garrison, Jayden Quaintance, Andrija Jelavic, and Malachi Moreno.
Travis Perry sticking in the SEC?
On Friday morning, Robbie Weinstein of Vandy247 placed a Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Travis Perry transferring to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt was among the dozen schools that On3’s Joe Tipton reported as ones showing early interest after the Lyon County (KY) product surprisingly entered his name into the transfer portal on April 22. A rising sophomore, Perry will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.
Ole Miss and Maryland, among others, have continued to poke around, but as of right now, Vanderbilt appears to have the edge. If Perry ends up in Nashville, he’ll face his former team twice come SEC play in 2025-26.
Kentucky men’s tennis sweeps NCAA Tournament 1st round
On Friday night in North Carolina, Kentucky men’s tennis (17-11, 7-7 SEC) earned a 4-0 win over Sun Belt champion Old Dominion (18-8, 7-0 SBC) in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament. The Wildcats move on to the second round for the eighth consecutive year, but now face top-seeded Wake Forest (35-1; 13-0 ACC) later this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. ET.
The Cats and Deacs have met in the NCAA Tournament five teams, with Kentucky claiming its only victory in the last postseason meeting between the teams — a 4-3 victory in the 2022 Lexington Super Regional. You can watch UK in action live on the Cracked Racquets YouTube channel.
Jamal Murray in a Game 7
Will Playoff Jamal Murray show up tonight in a decisive Game 7? His Denver Nuggets will certainly need it to fend off the Los Angeles Clippers. Murray went for 43 points in a Game 5 win earlier this week, but dropped just 21 points in a Game 6 loss on Thursday. Denver is going to need a pair of huge performances from Murray and Nikola Jokic to fend off Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and the Clippers for the fourth time in seven games.
Western Conference First Round | Game 7 | Tied 3-3
7:30 (TNT) | (5) Clippers @ (4) Nuggets
The post KSR Today: The 151st Kentucky Derby and a Bat Cats doubleheader appeared first on On3.