Getty The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby will be held at Churchill Downs on May 6.
The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Coverage of the Derby Day races, including the Turf Classic (5:27 p.m. ET post time) and the Kentucky Derby (6:57 p.m. ET post time), will be televised on NBC from Noon to 7:30 p.m. ET.
If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both include NBC and come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable and you want a free option, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways to watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby streaming live online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” NBC is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Peacock TV
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, this is the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the Kentucky Derby–a simulcast of NBC’s coverage will be on Peacock Premium, which costs $4.99 per month:
Once signed up for Peacock, you can watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby live on the Peacock TV app or Peacock TV website.
Compatible devices for the Peacock TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC (live in select markets) and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with sports channels, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no extra cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the 2023 Kentucky Derby live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
Kentucky Derby 2023 Preview
The “Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” is back, kicking off the first leg of the Triple Crown. An event for three-year old Thoroughbreds only, the Derby is a one and a quarter mile race with the winner taking home a $3 million purse this year.
Last year’s winner Rich Strike was just the second horse ever to win from the 20th post. How important is post position?
Per the event’s official website: “Post 1 is often dreaded since it’s difficult for horses to secure racing room while breaking from the inside of a large field. But while post 1 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986, post 2, post 9, post 12, post 14, and post 17 have endured even worse luck. Post 14 hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Carry Back in 1961, and horses breaking from post 17 have gone 0-for-43.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Derby two times, has three horses competing this year. Florida Derby winner Forte is the favorite, while Blue Grass Stakes victor Tapit Trice has the second-best odds to take home the purse. Both are among the favorites to win, while Kingsbarnes will compete, as well.
“I’ve always said you can get good trips from bad post positions and bad trips from good post positions,” Pletcher said. “It’s really about how the race unfolds. But I do think the post positions do kind of affect strategies, and that can affect the outcome.”
Trainer Brad Cox has four horses competing in the Derby this year: Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Jace’s Road and Verifying.
“Everything went really well today,” Cox said after a test run the week before the Derby. “We stood all four Derby horses in the gate. They stood extremely well. They are going to school tomorrow in the paddock. They are doing great, they really are. They stood in the gate and had really, really good gallops after that. Hopefully everything goes good in the paddock and we’ll do as much as we can in the mornings. Hopefully that will translate to them being settled and handling everything well on Saturday.”
Here’s a list of the Thoroughbreds competing in this year’s Derby, along with jockeys and trainers:
1. Hit Show (30-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Manny Franco
2. Verifying (15-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
3. Two Phil’s (12-1)
Trainer: Larry Rivelli
Jockey: Jareth Loveberry
4. Confidence Game (20-1)
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: James Graham
5. Tapit Trice (5-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez
6. Kingsbarns (12-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
7. Reincarnate (50-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: John Velazquez
8. Mage (15-1)
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Jockey: Javier Castellano
9. Skinner (20-1)
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Juan Hernandez
10. Practical Move (10-1)
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Ramon Vazquez
11. Disarm (30-1)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
12. Jace’s Road (15-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux
13. Sun Thunder (30-1)
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez
14. Angel of Empire (8-1)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat
15. Forte (3-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
16. Raise Cain (15-1)
Trainer: Ben Colebrook
17. Derma Sotogake (10-1)
Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi
Jockey: Christopher Lemaire
18. Rocket Can (15-1)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
19. Lord Miles (30-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Paco Lopez
20. Continuar (50-1)
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai