The 152nd Kentucky Derby (2026), one of the biggest events in global horse racing and the first leg of the US Triple Crown – followed by the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – will take place on Saturday, May 2 at Churchill Downs.
Only 13 horses in history have won all three races, the most recent being Justify in 2018. The Derby spans 1.25 miles and is famously known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.”
Renegade, a 3-year-old colt, enters the race as the favorite after winning the Arkansas Derby. However, he is set to start from the dreaded No. 1 gate, a position that has not produced a winner since 1986.
Further Ado, ridden by John Velazquez, is another strong contender after winning the 2026 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Commandment (winner of Florida Derby 2026), Chief Wallabee (who has finished “in the money” in all three starts this year) and The Puma (winner of Tampa Bay Derby 2026) are also among punters’ favourites.
Read on to find out how to watch the Kentucky Derby 2026 live online from anywhere in the world.
How to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 online anywhere
If you’re keen to watch the Kentucky Derby 2026 but you’re away from home and access to the event is geo-blocked, then you can always use a VPN to access it (provided you’re not violating any broadcasters’ T&Cs, of course). You might be surprised how easy it is to do.
Use NordVPN to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 online from anywhere.
How to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby online in the US
The 2026 Kentucky Derby will air live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM ET on Saturday, May 2.
Cord cutters can catch all the action on NBC via Sling, whose Sling Blue package costs just $45 and is actually currently available for 50% off. Other live TV options include YouTube TV (10-day free trial), Hulu+Live TV, and DirecTV.
Alternatively, you can stream this year’s Kentucky Derby on Peacock. The event is available through the Premium subscription, which costs $10.99 per month.
Traveling abroad? If you are currently traveling outside the United States, you can use a VPN to watch the Kentucky Derby 2026 from anywhere in the world. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2026 online in the UK
Kentucky Derby 2026 is shown live Sky Sports Racing in Great Britain. If you don’t have sports channels included in your Sky subscription, it will cost you £22/month to add them.
If you don’t fancy a full Sky subscription, you can watch the Kentucky Derby 2026 on Now Sports, which costs £14.99 for 24 hours or £34.99 for a full month.
Traveling outside the UK? Use a VPN to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 from abroad. NordVPN is our recommended provider.
How to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby in Australia
Unfortunately, the Kentucky Derby seems to have slipped through the cracks in Australia. If anything changes, we’ll let you know here.
Outside of Oz right now? Use NordVPN to stream your local content library and watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby 2026 horses and riders
- Renegade (Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Coach: Todd Pletcher)
- Albus (Manny Franco, Riley Mott)
- Intrepido (Hector Barrios, Jeff Mullins)
- Litmus Test (Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert)
- Right to Party (Chris Elliott, Kenny McPeek)
- Commandment (Luis Saez, Brad Cox)
- Danon Bourbon (Atsuya Nishimura, Manabu Ikezoe)
- So Happy (Mike Smith, Mark Glat)
- The Puma (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado)
- Wonder (Dean Ryusei Sakai, Daisuke Takayanagi)
- Incredibolt (Jamie Torres, Riley Mott)
- Chief Wallabee (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott)
- Silent Tactic (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse)
- Potente (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffer)
- Emerging Market (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
- Pavlovian (Edwin Maldonado, Doug O’Neill)
- Six Speed (Brian Hernandez Jr., Bhupat Seemar)
- Further Ado (John Velazquez, Brad Cox)
- Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux)
- Fulleffort (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox)
We test and review VPN services for legitimate recreational use. For example: 1. Accessing a Service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that Service). 2. Protecting your online security and enhancing your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consumption of paid-for pirated content is neither endorsed nor endorsed by Future Publishing.
