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The 2022 Kentucky Derby live takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, May 7, 2022 (5/7/22)
The 148th edition of the Kentucky Derby will happen on Saturday, May 7, 2022. The big event will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, the US.
Fans can watch the event for free via a trial of DirectTV Stream or fuboTV.
Hereās what you need to know:
What: Kentucky Derby 2022
When: Saturday, May 7, 2022
Time: Post-time is 6:57 p.m. ET, with coverage on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Where: Churchill Downs
TV: NBC
Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV,Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling
Live stream: DirectTV Stream (free trial), fuboTV (free trial)
Bet on the Kentucky Derby
Check out our How to Bet on the Kentucky Derby guide
Preview, via the Associated Press:
Zandon and filly Nest are the morning-line favorites for the 148th Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively, at Churchill Downs, which will host both marquee races at full capacity for the first time since 2019.
Zandon, trained by Chad Brown, drew 3-1 odds Monday and will start from the No. 10 post among 20 horses for the $3 million marquee event for 3-year-olds. The colt moved to second in Derby points behind Epicenter after rallying from the back of the field to win last monthās Blue Grass at Keeneland in Lexington. He has two wins, a second-place finish and a third in four career starts.
Zandon has the āperfectā spot dead center with Flavien Prat aboard, Brown said.
āWeāre ready to go,ā added Brown, who enters his eighth Derby seeking his first win after Good Magic finished third in 2018.
Epicenter was initially expected to be the Derby favorite following consecutive graded stakes wins, including the Louisiana Derby in March. The horse is the 7-2 second betting choice after drawing the No. 3 post.
Messier, one of two colts trained by Derby first-timer Tim Yakteen after he took over their training this spring for suspended Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, is the 8-1 third choice and will start from the No. 6 post.
Yakteenās other entrant, Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba, is a 12-1 choice from the No. 12 post.
āThey made us wait,ā said Yakteen, referring to his horses being among the final three chosen. āBut in the end, we drew well.ā
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen simply hoped that Epicenter could break well from near the rail beneath jockey Joel Rosario and see where it leads.
āHow long he stands in there, how long it takes to load, 150,000 people staring at him ā itās a lot,ā Asmussen said. āJoel is very confident in rhythm of the horse. So, if he is away cleanly Joel will let him be who he is.ā
This weekendās races will happen without Baffert, whom Churchill Downs suspended for two years following Medina Spiritās failed postrace drug test and eventual disqualification as the winner of last yearās Derby.
Meanwhile, four-time Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas gets another chance for a fifth victory with Ethereal Road, who entered the field on Monday after Un Ojo withdrew. The Hall of Famerās 50th Derby starter and first since Bravazo (sixth in 2018) has work to do as a 30-1 long shot from the No. 20 far post.
Rich Strike and Rattle N Roll are also eligible pending withdrawals. Post time on Saturday is 6:57 p.m. EDT.
For the Oaks, Nest drew the No. 4 post among 14 fillies and is the 5-2 favorite for Fridayās $1.25 million, 1 1/8th-mile race. Nest is one of three Todd Pletcher-trained horses in the field, along with Goddess of Fire (No. 5 post) and Shahama (No. 13), both 15-1 shots.
Nest is coming off a dominant 8 1/4-length victory over Cocktail Moments in the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, her third in a row and second this year.
āIām happy with the draws for Nest and Goddess of Fire,ā said Pletcher, who is seeking his second consecutive Oaks win and fourth overall.
āWe were hoping to be somewhere in the middle,ā Pletcher said. āWith Shahama, itās OK. She isnāt real sharp away from the gate, so she may have a better chance out there than if she was stuck down inside.ā