NEWSLETTER
It’s an exciting time of year as the month of May has arrived with the MLB, NBA Playoffs, and more. Also, it means it’s time for the greatest two minutes in sports: the Kentucky Derby!
Here’s what you need to know about the date, time, how to watch, and more on the big event.
When is the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs?
The 2023 Derby is on Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Twenty horses will compete in the first event of the Triple Crown at the 149th Kentucky Derby. You’ll see Hit Show, Verifying, Two Phil’s, Confidence Game, and more horses run for the roses and hope to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Watching the Derby: Time and Channels
The race begins at 6:57 p.m. ET as jockeys will be battling it out on the racetrack to go down in history by finishing first. The first of the Triple Crown races is on NBC. You can watch on NBC with traditional cable or you can watch on NBC’s streaming app Peacock.
There are other options to keep up with all the buzz and race. Streaming options such as YouTube TV, Hulu+, Sling, FuboTV, and more have packages that might have NBC. Check out free trials to see if it’s worth getting for the biggest event in horse racing.
Recent Winners
The derby is the biggest race in all of thoroughbred racing and has had some great winners in the past. Here’s a look at some of the Kentucky Derby winners from the past few years with the jockey in parentheses.
2022: Rich Strike (Sonny Leon)
2021: Mandaloun (Florent Geroux)
2020: Authentic (John R. Velazquez)
2019: Country House (Flavien House)
2018: Justify (Mike E. Smith)
2017: Always Dreaming (John R. Velazquez)
2016: Nyquist (Mario Guitierrez)
2015: American Pharoah (Victor Espinoza)
American Pharoah and Justify each went on to win the Triple Crown. In 2015, American Pharoah was the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
2023 Kentucky Derby FAQs
The Derby is on Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
The 2023 Derby is on NBC. It can also be watched on Peacock or other streaming services that have the NBC channel.
The Derby begins at 6:57 p.m. ET. Coverage of the event begins at 1 p.m. on NBC.
