Woodford Reserve
Kentucky Derby Livestream: How to Watch the 150th Running Online This Weekend
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Quick Answer: You can watch the 2024 Kentucky Derby on NBC with a live TV streaming service like DirecTV Stream, or on Peacock.
Don a big hat and grab a mint julep: the 2024 Kentucky Derby is here.
As always, this year’s running of the Kentucky Derby will bring the best three-year-old Thoroughbreds from around the globe to Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Also known as “The Run for the Roses” and “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports,” the Derby has run every year since 1875, making this year’s meeting the 150th running.
Whether you’re a racing geek, a casual fan, or a party host, the Kentucky Derby is one of the year’s best sports events. If you’re looking to join the fun and watch the Kentucky Derby live, read on. Below is a full guide on how to stream the Kentucky Derby online (including ways to watch the Kentucky Derby for free).
How to Watch the Kentucky Derby Online
The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on NBC with more than six hours of television coverage, so tune in there if you’re watching with cable or satellite.
If you’ve cut the cord, there are still a few easy ways to stream the Kentucky Derby online this year. Here are some of our favorites — all of which let you watch the Derby online using any TV streaming device, laptop, phone, or tablet.
Editor’s Pick: DirecTV Stream
Free Trial: fuboTV
Most Affordable: Peacock
Also Great: Sling
1. Stream the Kentucky Derby on DirecTV Stream
editor’s pick
A subscription to DirecTV Stream gets you access to NBC to watch the Kentucky Derby race online this year. Plus, you get unlimited cloud DVR storage, which is great for recording all the early morning Derby coverage and races. DirecTV Stream packages begin with a five-day free trial and start at $79.99 a month after the trial. Use that free trial to watch this weekend’s race without paying (just remember to cancel before the five-day trial is over).
2. Stream the Kentucky Derby on fuboTV
free trial
One way to watch the Kentucky Derby online is to get a live TV streaming service that carries NBC, such as fuboTV. Besides NBC, fuboTV offers up to more than 220 live TV channels, and you get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. fuboTV starts with a seven-day free trial, after which you’ll need to pay $74.99 a month to keep service.
fuboTV
fubo’s massive streaming plans carry up to 275+ channels, and you can get even more depending on your location. Packages start at $79.99 a month, and you get seven days to try the service for free.
3. Stream the Kentucky Derby on Peacock
most affordable
The easiest way to watch the Kentucky Derby live online is with Peacock. The NBC streaming service, which costs just $5.99 a month, will be offering live coverage of the event for subscribers. In addition to the Kentucky Derby stream, you’ll get tons of on-demand content and some future live sports events with your subscription.
Peacock
Peacock Premium, the paid version of this service normally costs $5.99 per month, and gives you access to a larger library of shows and movies, plus original series, and daily news, sports, and pop culture updates. An ad-free Peacock Premium subscription costs $11.99 per month, or $99.99 per year, although NBC says some Peacock channels, events, TV shows, and movies need to have advertisements due to streaming rights.
4. Stream the Kentucky Derby on Sling
also great
Another great live TV streaming service with NBC in its channel lineup is Sling. To watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC with Sling, you’ll need to get the Sling Blue package, which costs $45 a month and delivers 42 live TV channels in total. Right now though, you can score a Sling deal that gets you $10 off your first month, taking it down to $35.
Sling
Sling is one of the most affordable live TV streaming services, with packages starting at $40 a month. You can get up to 46 channels in the Sling Orange + Blue plan, plus more with Sling’s add-ons.
How to Watch the Kentucky Derby for Free Online
Want to stream the Kentucky Derby for free? Be sure to take advantage of the DirecTV Stream five-day free trial, or the free trial from fuboTV. Because the fubo free trial lasts seven days, you’ll be able to watch the whole event without paying — plus other live events after the Derby is over (maybe NBA or NHL playoff games). Just be sure to cancel your subscription before the trial is over to avoid paying.
When is the Kentucky Derby? Date, Race Time
The Kentucky Derby is happening today, Saturday, May 4. The actual race is scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET / 3:57 p.m. PT, but there will be several other races leading up to the Derby, with the first race is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. ET, and NBC coverage of the day starting at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT.
2024 Kentucky Derby Horses, Odds
As in previous Kentucky Derby meetings, the 2024 race will see 20 horses racing for the blanket of roses. Here’s the full list of horses running in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, as well as each horse’s jockey.
| 1 | Dornoch | Luis Sáez | 20-1 |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | Tyler Gaffalione | 3-1 |
| 3 | Mystik Dan | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 20-1 |
| 4 | Catching Freedom | Flavien Prat | 8-1 |
| 5 | Catalytic | José Ortiz | 30-1 |
| 6 | Just Steel | Keith Asmussen | 20-1 |
| 7 | Honor Marie | Ben Curtis | 20-1 |
| 8 | Just a Touch | Florent Géroux | 10-1 |
| 9 | Encino | SCRATCHED | |
| 10 | T O Password | Kazushi Kimura | 30-1 |
| 11 | Forever Young | Ryusei Sakai | 10-1 |
| 12 | Track Phantom | Joel Rosario | 20-1 |
| 13 | West Saratoga | Jesús Castañón | 50-1 |
| 14 | Endlessly | Umberto Rispoli | 30-1 |
| 15 | Domestic Product | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 30-1 |
| 16 | Grand Mo the First | Emisael Jaramillo | 50-1 |
| 17 | Fierceness | John Velázquez | 5-2 |
| 18 | Stronghold | Antonio Fresu | 20-1 |
| 19 | Resilience | Júnior Alvarado | 20-1 |
| 20 | Society Man | Frankie Dettori | 50-1 |
| 21 | Epic Ride | Adam Beschizza | 50-1 |
As of writing, Fierceness (5-2) is the top prospect to win the Kentucky Derby, however, the expert-favorite appears to be Sierra Leone (3-1) who’s leading in the points, based on Courier Journal reporting.
Who Sponsors the Kentucky Derby?
Woodford Reserve is once again the presenting sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, having been the race’s “Official Bourbon” since 1999 and its sponsor since 2018. Every year, the bourbon brand offers a $1,000 Mint Julep — a new mint julep recipe sold in limited-edition Kentucky Derby julep cups — and donates the proceeds to charity.
The 2024 iteration of the $1k Mint Julep includes 200 Silver cups retailing for $1,000, and 100 Gold cups retailing for $5,000. This year’s cups features the iconic Twin Spires of Churchill Downs adorned in either emeralds or crystals, handmade by Louisville-based jeweler From the Vault. For the first time, customers can also choose to have the cups shipped to their homes.
While the $1k Mint Juleps are sold out, there are still $5k cups available — although if that’s out of your price range, you can still pick up a bottle of Woodford Reserve to make your own Mint Juleps for a Kentucky Derby party.