One of the most prestigious horse races in the world returns on Saturday, May 3 with the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. If you're keen to watch the race, we'll help you figure out how to do so from anywhere.
US: NBC | Peacock
UK: Not streaming
AU: Kayo Sport
Watch abroad with a VPN
Racing fans in the US can watch the Kentucky Derby for free on the NBC Sports website or app, and if you're travelling you can buy a VPN to access the NBC Sports site abroad.
The crown jewel of the US racing calendar, the Kentucky Derby has plenty of history, starting way back in 1875. The race takes place in Kentucky (as you could guess) at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, where it's been hosted since 1875.
Run over 10 furlongs (1 1/4 mile), the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown, which is completed by the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
Favorites to win the 2025 Kentucky Derby include Journalism, Sovereignty and Sandman, with 20 horses in total set to race.
If you're interested to see how it pans out, here's how to watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
How to watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the US
The 2025 Kentucky Derby will be shown on Saturday, May 3 on NBC. Coverage will begin at 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT and the big race itself is expected to begin at 6:57 pm ET/3:57 pm PT.
NBC is free to watch but you can also see the race on NBCSports.com and the NBC sports app. But there are other ways to watch online too.
You can stream NBC over the internet via a live TV streaming service including FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
Alternatively you can watch a live stream of the race on NBCUniversal's movie, TV and sports streaming service Peacock. A subscription costs at $7.99 but frequent Peacock deals can save you money.
Can you watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby in the UK?
The Kentucky Derby isn't set to be broadcast online or on TV in the UK.
Last year it aired on Sky Sports but it's absent from Sky's schedule this year. It's also not on any of the major TV channels' schedules or listed by Discovery Plus in its sports section.
How to watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby in Australia?
You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Open live from Australia by using the streaming service Kayo Sports.
The race itself will take place at 8:57 am AEST though it's likely that Kayo will show the pre-races in the hours leading up to the proper derby.
Kayo Sports begins at $25 per month for a subscription. That's for Standard which gets you 1 device to stream on but Premium for $40 monthly gets you 2 devices and 4K streaming on select sports.
How to watch 2025 Kentucky Derby everywhere else
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the big race, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
What time is the Kentucky Derby 2025 race?
Post time for the 2025 Kentucky Derby is 6:57 pm ET/3:57 pm PT/11:57 pm UK time.
Other races on the card will begin earlier in the day.
Which horses are running in the Kentucky Derby 2025?
The horses due to run in the Kentucky Derby are:
- Sitizen Bull
- Neoequos
- Final Gambit
- Rodriguez
- American Promise
- Admire Daytona
- Luxor Cafe
- Journalism
- Burnham Square
- Grande
- Flying Mohawk
- East Avenue
- Publisher
- Tiztastic
- Render Judgement
- Coal Battle
- Sandman
- Sovereignty
- Chunk of Gold
- Owen Almighty
- Baeza
Please note some runners may be withdrawn before the start.
Where is the Kentucky Derby 2025?
The Kentucky Derby is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
