- Start Time: 6:57pm ET / 11:57pm BST
- Watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby on NBC/Peacock (US) / Sky Sports (UK)
- Watch from abroad with NordVPN (try risk-free)
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 the Belmont Stakes – will take place on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs.
Only 13 horses in history have won all three races, with 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’s set to start from the dreaded No. 1 gate, a position that hasn’t 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 the 2026 Florida Derby), Chief Wallabee (who's finished “in the money” in all three starts this year), and The Puma (winner of the 2026 Tampa Bay Derby) are also among bettors’ favorites.
Read on to find out how you can watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby live online from anywhere in the world.
How to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 online from anywhere
If you're keen to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 but you're away from home and access to the event is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.
Use NordVPN to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby online from anywhere.
How to watch 2026 Kentucky Derby online in the US
The 2026 Kentucky Derby is being broadcast live on NBC, from 2:30pm 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, in fact, 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 via the Premium subscription, which is $10.99 a month.
Traveling abroad? If you're currently traveling outside the US, you can use a VPN to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby from anywhere in the world. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 online in the UK
The 2026 Kentucky Derby is being shown live on Sky Sports Racing in the UK. If you don't have Sports channels included in your Sky subscription, it'll cost you £22/month to add them.
If you don't fancy a full-blown Sky subscription, you can watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby on Now Sports, which is £14.99 for 24 hours or £34.99 for a whole month.
Traveling outside the UK? Use a VPN to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 from abroad. NordVPN is our recommended provider.
How to watch Kentucky Derby 2026 in Australia
Unfortunately, the Kentucky Derby appears to have slipped through the cracks in Australia. If anything changes we'll let you know right here.
Outside Oz right now? Use NordVPN to stream your local content library and watch Kentucky Derby 2026.
Kentucky Derby 2026 horses and riders
- Renegade (Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Trainer: 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 (DeanRyusei 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)
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.