When is the Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby is hands down the biggest event in horse racing, so when is the 2023 Churchill Downs race and post time for the 149th Run for the Roses?

Even people who don’t know a thing about horse racing look forward to the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs Racetrack is hallowed ground in all of sports and the first leg of the Triple Crown always gets people enthralled to watch every minute.

With the calendar turning to May, you start to get aware that the Kentucky Derby is coming. However, because there aren’t many people who are watching horse racing every weekend or year-round, that means some people wanting to watch the fastest two minutes in sports might be trying to figure out when to watch.

So when is the 2023 Kentucky Derby? We have you covered with the date, the time of the broadcast, how to watch, and when the race will actually start.

When is the Kentucky Derby 2023?

The 2023 Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. This will be the 149th race in the illustrious history of the event and, as mentioned, it’ll be a tough act to follow this year with the drama that Rich Strike provided as the all-time longshot winner of the Run for the Roses.

What time does the Kentucky Derby start?

The broadcast for the 2023 Kentucky Derby will start at Noon ET on Saturday, May 6. There will be more than a dozen races throughout the day, but the coverage of those preliminary contests and pre-race coverage of the Run for the Roses will be on the broadcast. NBC will have the coverage of the entire day, meaning that the event will also be streaming on NBC Sports, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Kentucky Derby post time 2023: When does the race start?

As mentioned, there are more races in Louisville than just the main event. The 2023 Kentucky Derby post time is tentatively set for 6:57 p.m. ET on Saturday, meaning the race should begin about that time. You should definitely tune in a few minutes before to watch the horses take their post as the broadcast builds the drama, but be sure you’re watching just before 7 p.m. on the east coast to catch the blistering action at Churchill Downs.