How to Watch the Kentucky Derby (Even Without a TV)
Dubbed “the two greatest minutes in sports,” today’s Kentucky derby won’t last long. The sum of races this year is $ 2 million, the time is 1:59 2/5 set by the Secretariat in 1973.
It’s somebody’s race right now, but now the odds are in favor of a horse named Justify. Despite being the favorite in terms of likelihood, he will have to overcome the 135-year-old curse that prevented any three-year-old horse from winning a race that did not compete at the age of two.
This year’s race will also bring with it a horse named Audible (sponsored by the audiobook company Amazon), as well as some other favorites such as Good Magic, Free Drop Billy and Vino Rosso. While our buddy Justify is by far the favorite, this is really someone’s race.
If you want to watch the action live, grab a mint julep (or margarita, this year Derby will still be on Cinco de Mayo) and go to one of these places this afternoon:
Tv
Derby programming is due to begin at 12:00 pm ET on NBC Sports, with the actual race taking place at 6:34 pm ET. Yes, 6:34 am.
The race itself will air on NBC along with coverage of the event from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm ET.
If you have a cable, then this is not a problem. Watch on TV. You can watch NBC over the air for free if you have an antenna (and if you don’t buy it now, they are cheap and very useful).
Streaming
The Derby will also be streamed live on the NBC Sports app, requiring a cable TV subscription.
If you don’t have one of these (and can’t borrow a friend’s credentials), you can also catch a race on any streaming service that offers NBC support in your area (which is most likely, if not all, of them. depending on where you live).
Try services like YourTube Live, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Now, and Sling TV. Pricing for all of this starts at $ 25 per month (Sling TV) and up to $ 40 per month (YouTube TV) for packages that include NBC.
That’s a high price to pay to watch a two-minute race, but most also offer a free trial that you can use to catch the action for free and then undo it.