Kentucky Derby: How to bet $100 on the Run for the Roses
Learn how to effectively bet $100 on the Kentucky Derby 2026!
The 2026 Kentucky Derby starts at 6:57 p.m. EDT on May 4, 2026. The horses will load into the gate at 7:01 p.m., with the race beginning shortly after.
Horses compete during a race at Churchill Downs in May 2024. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Itâs Kentucky Derby Day, also known as the day everyone waits around for eight hours to watch a two-minute horse race.
But thatâs part of what makes the Derby what it is ⊠not just a race, but an event. And maybe 8 a.m. PDT is a little early to begin your neighborhood party, but weâre not judging. Besides, if youâre reading this in the Eastern Time Zone, 11 a.m. is prime brunch time.
What you really want to know, though, is what time the horses actually will break from the gate at Churchill Downs. For the seventh straight year, the official post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT, though a timeline released Friday at the track said the horses would load into the gate at 7:01, with a start at 7:02.
Read more: Fulleffort is latest scratch from Kentucky Derby field, Ocelli gets added
To spare you the math, thatâs 3:57 p.m. in Los Angeles and the rest of the Pacific Time Zone, with the race starting just after 4. (In the last six years, the race has gone off sometime between 3:59 and 4:05.)
But you donât want to just tune into NBC at the top of the hour. Thereâs the walkover of the horses from the stable area to the paddock beginning at about 3:15 PDT, the call for âRiders Upâ (from retired jockey Pat Day) at 3:44, the âCall to the Postâ at 3:45 and the University of Louisville choir singing âMy Old Kentucky Homeâ right after that.
If youâre interested in any of the 11 races at Churchill Downs before the Derby, and there are some good ones, they begin at 8 a.m. PDT. The first two races are available on FanDuel TV (yes, itâs still in business) before Peacock and NBCSN take over at 9 a.m. Thatâs where the next four races, including two graded stakes, will be televised.
Then, once NBCâs coverage of the Premier League soccer game between Arsenal and Fulham ends at 11:30, the network will show the rest of the card, which features five stakes races leading up to the Derby.
The Derby does not end NBCâs sports day, however. After the trophy presentation, the network hopes much of its audience sticks around for Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics. Tipoff is scheduled for shortly after 4:30 p.m. PDT.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Kentucky Derby in 2026 starts at 6:57 p.m. EDT.
The broadcast channel for the 2026 Kentucky Derby has not been specified in the provided information.
The horses will load into the gate at 7:01 p.m. EDT on May 4, 2026.
Learn how to effectively bet $100 on the Kentucky Derby 2026!

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