Twenty horses stampeding 1 1/4 miles around Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Derby turns 150 years old this year, extending its run as America’s longest continuously held sporting event.
The 2-minute race features a dash out of the starting gate, especially for the horses breaking from posts 15-20 whose jockeys want to angle them in to save ground. There’s a scramble for positioning going into the first turn before the field stretches out on the backside. The pace picks up heading into the final turn before the thrilling run through the stretch with 150,000 fans cheering.
6:57 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
Saturday’s forecast is for 79 degrees (26 Celsius) with a 52% chance of rain. The last sloppy track for the Derby was in 2019, when Country House was declared the winner after a 22-minute review by the stewards. Maximum Security crossed the line first, but was disqualified for interference. The Churchill dirt strip has been listed as fast for the last four Derbies.
