The Kentucky Derby is one of the most iconic sporting events in the world. Every year, millions of fans tune into NBC to watch top race horses from around the globe compete in “The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports.” At this year’s race, there are high expectations on Epicenter (7-2), trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. Asmussen has never won the Derby in 23 attempts. Zandon, trained by Chad Brown, opened as the early favorite at 3-1.
NBC is home to the 148th Kentucky Derby, providing comprehensive race coverage and analysis live on TV, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock before, during and after. Coverage begins on Saturday, May 7 from 12 to 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and moves to NBC from 2:30 to 7:30.
NBC will also broadcast the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, 2022 Preakness Stakes and 2022 Belmont Stakes.
RELATED: Kentucky Derby 2022 post positions, odds announced
What is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby, traditionally held on the first Saturday in May, is one of the most well known Grade 1 Thoroughbred stakes races in the world. First run in 1875, this 1 1/4-mile (10 furlongs) race kicks off the American Triple Crown of horse racing.
What time is the 2022 Kentucky Derby?
The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, May 7, 2022 on NBC, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
The weekend kicks off with the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 6 from 1 tp 5 p.m. ET on Peacock before moving to USA Network from 5 to 6. On Derby Day, coverage runs from 12 to 2:30 p.m. on USA Network and gallops over to NBC from 2:30 to 7:30. Post time is at approximately 6:57 p.m. ET.
Where is the 2022 Kentucky Derby?
The Derby is held on the dirt track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where it has been held since its inaugural running in 1875.
How can I watch the 2022 Kentucky Derby?
NBC is home to the 148th Kentucky Derby, providing comprehensive race coverage and analysis live on TV, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock before, during and after. NBC will also broadcast the 2022 Kentucky Oaks, 2022 Preakness Stakes and 2022 Belmont Stakes.
RELATED: America’s Day to Wager: The experts weigh in on betting the 2022 Kentucky Derby
How are horses picked for the Derby?
Only three-year-old Thoroughbreds can qualify for the Kentucky Derby. Eligible horses compete in the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of prep races around the world. Horses win points for finishing in the top four spots, and the 20 horses with the most points at the end of the series gain entry into the Derby. (However, sometimes horses will scratch, giving another the opportunity to run in the Derby.)
RELATED: Kentucky Derby Contender Epicenter: Descended from Donuts and the American Dream
Kentucky Derby 2022 post positions, horses
1. Mo Donegal
2. Happy Jack
3. Epicenter
4. Summer Is Tomorrow
5. Smile Happy
6. Messier
7. Crown Pride
8. Charge It
9. Tiz the Bomb
10. Zandon
11. Pioneer of Medina
12. Taiba
13. Simplification
14. Barber Road
15. White Abarrio
16. Cyberknife
17. Classic Causeway
18. Tawny Port
19. Zozos
20. Ethereal Road
21. Rich Strike
Who won the 2021 Kentucky Derby?
On Monday, February 21, Brad Cox’s colt Mandaloun was named the official winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby when the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stripped Bob Baffert’s Medina Spirit of the title due to a failed post-race drug test.
Medina Spirit surprised at Churchill on the first Saturday in May with a wire-to-wire win, giving Baffert a record seventh victory in the race.
Just days later, Baffert, who has a contentious history with positive drug tests, publicly announced that the colt had failed his postrace drug test. Medina Spirit was found to have 21 picograms of the steroid betamethasone in his system, and though a picogram is a trillionth of one gram, it was still double the legal threshold to race in Kentucky. It was later revealed that the betamethasone came from a topical antifungal ointment called Otomax that was used to treat dermatitis.
Churchill Downs later suspended Baffert from racing at its facility, and the New York Racing Association followed suit.
Medina Spirit went on to race in the Preakness under strict conditions, finishing third. He raced three more times, winning the Shared Belief and Awesome Again (G1) and taking second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Exactly one month after his final race, Medina Spirit collapsed and died after a workout at Santa Anita on Dec. 6. He was posthumously named a finalist for 2021 Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male.
Juddmonte-owned Mandaloun was second to the wire with Florent Geroux in the irons. He’s since picked up wins in the Pegasus Stakes (Listed) and the Haskell Stakes (G1) (elevated to first after Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified for interference) at Monmouth, as well as the Louisiana Skates (G3) at Fair Grounds.
What are the biggest Kentucky Derby traditions?
Formal yet bold outfits for both men and women are synonymous with the Kentucky Derby. Celebrities and fans a like go all out, donning creative and colorful hats, bright colors and wild patterns. In fact, hats and outfits are such a big part of the Kentucky Derby that the Derby Museum has a whole exhibit for the most lavish fashions. The Mint Julep, made with Kentucky bourbon, is the signature drink of the Derby.
Kentucky’s state song “My Old Kentucky Home” is played during the pre-race post parade. The song, written by Stephen Foster in the 1850s, depicts slavery in the pre-Civil War South, and the song’s exact origins and intentions have been subject to debate and varying interpretations over the last 170 years. There have been renewed calls to re-examine the song’s place – on Derby Day and in American society at large – in recent years. After the race, the champion horse is given the iconic garland of roses in the winner’s circle.
Betting and horse racing go hand in hand. There will be a whole weekend of stacked racing cards at Churchill Downs, but the Kentucky Derby takes the betting cake.
Watch the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7 on NBC, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. ET.
