Kentucky Derby: What to know and how to watch
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Strong Quality #1, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins an undercard race ahead of the Kentucky Derby on May 4. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
At the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, 20 horses will race past fancy hats and mint juleps for a chance to reach the Winner's Circle.
Why it matters: This year's Derby follows a controversial one.
- Last year, five horses died at Churchill Downs, stirring concerns about animal welfare.
- Churchill Downs has enhanced safety protocols, including the addition of StrideSAFE, a technology horses will wear to identify early warning signs of injury.
State of play: 14 races will take place throughout the day. The first post time was 10:30am ET, and the main event is 6:57pm ET. View full schedule here.
- Live coverage starts at 2:30pm on NBC, NBCsports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.
- USA Network and Peacock will have Kentucky Oaks coverage 1-6pm Friday.
The prize purse is a record $5 million. The winner takes home $3.1 million, with their jockey earning $310,000. The other four top finishers will also take home money.
Catch up quick: For the last eight years, the Derby has used a tiered point system in select races across the world to determine who runs in the Kentucky Derby.
- Races throughout derby prep season designate points to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points are invited to Kentucky.
- Only thoroughbreds who are 3 years old can race.
Zoom out: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes are the Triple Crown events.
Fun facts: This year's Derby features two Japan-born colts: T O Password and Forever Young.
- Dornoch, the full brother of last year's winner, Mage, will start at post position one.
- The Garland of Roses given to the Kentucky Derby champion at the Winner's Circle weighs 40 pounds and is made with over 400 Freedom roses.
Go deeper: Jayson Werth's racehorse is a Kentucky Derby darling
