The Kentucky Derby is probably the biggest horse race in the United States – the start of the Triple Crown. And you won’t want to miss this year’s event, presented by Woodford Reserve, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Read on to learn all you need to watch cheaper online!
In a hurry? You can watch the race itself over-the-air with NBC. The cheapest live TV streaming service offering NBC is Sling Blue for just $40.00/mo. Get it now with a 50% discount!
Table Of Contents
The Kentucky Derby is the first race of the Triple Crown, held annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s followed by the Preakness Stakes (Sling TV Guide) at Pimlico and the Belmont Stakes (Sling TV Guide) at Belmont Park.
Last year’s race was won by Mage (15-1), who broke through from the back of the pack after the favorite, Forte, was forced to withdraw just hours before the start.
The longest-held sporting event in the United States, the Kentucky Derby will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024. Already the most-watched and most-attended horse race in the US, this year’s Derby Day is sure to bring plenty of history, hats, mint juleps, and the best thoroughbred racing in the world.
You won’t want to miss this edition of the Run for the Roses, so find out how to watch online from anywhere for the cheapest price below.
How Can I Watch the 2024 Kentucky Derby Live?
NBC owns the broadcasting rights to the Kentucky Derby through 2025. In previous years, the network has shared the event with different channels (eg, USA Network) but for this year’s 150th running, the race will be broadcast on NBC itself.
Live coverage will start at on Saturday, May 4, 2024, with the Derby’s post time scheduled for .
Since NBC is a broadcast television network, you should be able to watch for free with a digital antenna (depending on where you live). If you can’t or don’t want to set up an antenna, you can stream all the action with Sling TV.
Stream the 2024 Kentucky Derby With Sling TV
As a broadcast network, NBC has local affiliates that will allow you to watch the channel if you’re within their coverage region. This means you get access to lots of local and national content, but only if you live near an NBC affiliate.
The same concept goes for streaming. Sling TV offers NBC in its Sling Blue plan, but only in select markets. If you live in one of these areas, you’re all set.
Here are the regions where Sling offers NBC:
- Boston (WBTS)
- Chicago (WMAQ)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (KXAS)
- Hartford/New Haven (WVIT)
- Los Angeles (KNBC)
- Miami/Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ)
- New York City (WNBC)
- Philadelphia (WCAU)
- San Diego (KNSD)
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (KNTV)
- Washington, D.C. (WRC)
If you don’t live in one of these locations, it’s likely you’re able to watch NBC with an antenna – Sling TV will even provide a free one if you sign up to one of its plans and pre-pay for two months. Get all the details in our Sling TV Local Channel Guide.
Why Sling TV Blue Plan?
The Sling Blue plan costs $40.00/mo (half off the first month) and comes with local affiliates for ABC, Fox, and NBC. (Note that if you’re in a region able to get ABC, the price is $5/mo more).
You also get a total of 40+ other channels, including a prime selection of “cable” channels: A&E, AMC, BBC America, BET, Bravo, CNN, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Food Network, FS1, FX, Fox News, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Lifetime, Local Now, MSNBC, National Geographic, NFL Network, Nick Jr, Syfy, truTV, TBS, TNT, and USA Network.
With Sling Blue, you can watch on up to three devices at the same time, so different people can watch different programs around the house. The devices Sling TV works on include almost every type available, including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, mobile devices running iOS and Android, smart TVs from Android TV, LG, Samsung, and Vizio, and gaming systems Xbox and Oculus.
Plus you get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage.
But the best thing about Sling TV is that it’s more customizable than any other streaming, cable, or satellite system. Offering almost a dozen Extra add-on packages, you can get even more specific with nearly 50 individual channel additions, as well as country- and language-specific packages.
When Is 2024 Kentucky Derby?
The 2024 Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 6 at .
Twenty horses will compete in the event, making it the largest field in North American racing. The contenders, who will have earned the most points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races, and their jockeys are scheduled to be posted on April 27.
The expected Kentucky Derby field is (based on April 15 standings):
- Sierra Leone
- Fierceness
- Catching Freedom
- Stronghold
- Resilience
- Forever Young
- Endlessly
- Dornoch
- Just A Touch
- Track Phantom
- West Saratoga
- Just Steel
- Honor Marie
- Domestic Product
- Catalytic
- Deterministic
- Society Man
- Mystik Dan
- Encino
- T O Password
Wrapping Up
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most exciting events in sports. Cue up Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home,” read up on Kentucky Derby odds, and watch it all online without spending much using Sling TV. Get a month for 50% off now!
FAQ
Who is the favorite for the Kentucky Derby in 2024?
The 2024 Kentucky Derby favorite to win is Fierceness, with odds at 3-1. Behind that is Sierra Leone (Blue Grass Stakes champ) at 7-2, with Catching Freedom also under 10/1 at 8-1. If you’re wagering on a horse within the top five, Forever Young (10-1) and Dornoch (12-1) complete the list.
Michelle Yu, a Santa Anita-based racing reporter and analyst who’s had multiple years of success in predicting the Derby winner, isn’t backing Fierceness as the horse most likely to win in 2024 though. She has suggested Just a Touch could be the champ, who has been a close second in recent Stakes.
Will Fierceness rebound in the Florida Derby?
Fierceness recovered from a third-place finish in the Holy Bull – the first Florida prep race for three year olds in the Road to the Kentucky Derby – by winning the Florida Derby on Saturday, March 30. The race came with a prize of $1 million and gave trainer Todd Pletcher a record-breaking eighth Florida Derby win. Fierceness has been fairly unreliable on the leaderboards this season, though remains breeder and owner Mike Repole’s chance of finally winning a Kentucky Derby, after his horse (and favorite) Forte was forced to withdraw in 2023.
When is the 2024 Kentucky Derby field posted?
The 2024 Kentucky Derby field should be officially posted on April 27, 2024. The 20 positions available in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby are awarded to the top 18 finishers on the main Road to the Kentucky Derby, plus the winner of the Japanese and European versions. If any horse declines, its entry is offered to the next highest-ranked horse on the list.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby consists of more than 20 races in which two- and three-year-old colts can win points. These include the Santa Anita Derby in Arcadia, California, Wood Memorial in Aqueduct, New York, and Blue Grass and Lexington in Keeneland, Kentucky.
What is the Triple Crown?
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is a series of three races for three-year-old thoroughbreds. The three races are the Belmont Stakes (first run in 1867), the Preakness (first run in 1873), and the Kentucky Derby (first run in 1875). A horse that wins all three races is awarded the Triple Crown Trophy and known as a Triple Crown winner. Only thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown since the first in 1919, and even though the races are open to both colts and fillies, no filly has ever won all three.
What is the Kentucky Oaks?
Kentucky Oaks is the Kentucky Derby for fillies (female horses). The “Lilies for the Fillies” (named due to the winner receiving a garland of lilies, similar to the garland of roses the Derby winner gets) is held the day before the Kentucky Derby, also at Churchill Downs. At 1 1/8 mile, the race is slightly shorter and the horses carry a little less weight. The first post is at , and the actual Oaks is scheduled to run 11th in the 13-race series, at .
The Longines Kentucky Oaks is part of the larger, two-week Kentucky Derby Festival (more specifically, Derby Week) – see the FAQ on Thurby below.
What are the Twin Spires?
The two ends of the Churchill Downs grandstand are graced with two ornamental towers, which have become iconic symbols of the race track and the Kentucky Derby, as well as a Louisville landmark. The spires are so associated with horse racing that Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI – which owns and runs the entire Kentucky Derby) named its online betting platform, TwinSpires.com, after them.
What is Thurby?
A portmanteau of “Thursday before the Derby,” Thurby used to be a largely unofficial local celebration. Bringing together the heart of Kentucky (bourbon, Bluegrass, and thoroughbred racing!), the tradition has since attracted corporate sponsorship and become an event itself. This year marks the 11th edition of Thurby presented by Old Forester and will feature lots of Kentucky bourbon and entertainment.
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