The 152nd Kentucky Derby (2026), one of the most important events in world horse racing and the first stage of the United States 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, the most recent being Justify in 2018. The Derby spans 1.25 miles and is 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 is set to start from the feared number one gate, a position that has not produced a winner since 1986.
Additionally Ado, ridden by John Velázquez, is another strong contender after winning the 2026 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Commandment (winner of the 2026 Florida Derby), Chief Wallabee (who 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 to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby live online from anywhere in the world.
How to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby online from anywhere
If you want to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby but you’re away from home and access to the event is geo-blocked, you can always use a VPN to access (assuming you’re not violating the broadcaster’s terms and conditions, of course). You will be surprised how simple it is to do.
Use NordVPN to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby online from anywhere.
How to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby online in the US
The 2026 Kentucky Derby will air live on NBC, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 2.
Cord cutters can catch all the action on NBC through Sling, whose Sling Blue package is just $45 and, in fact, is 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 through the Premium subscription, which costs $10.99 per month.
Are you traveling abroad? If you are 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 the 2026 Kentucky Derby online in the UK
The 2026 Kentucky Derby is broadcast live air sports racing in the UK. If you don’t have sports channels included in your Sky subscription, adding them will cost you £22 a month.
If you don’t fancy a full Sky subscription, you can watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby on Now Sports, which costs £14.99 for 24 hours or £34.99 for a full month.
Traveling outside the UK? Use a VPN to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby from abroad. NordVPN is our recommended supplier.
How to watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby in Australia
Unfortunately, the Kentucky Derby seems to have flown under the radar in Australia. If anything changes, we’ll let you know right here.
Out of Oz right now? Wear NordVPN to stream your local content library and watch the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby 2026 Horses and Riders
- Renegade (Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Coach: Todd Pletcher)
- Albus (Manny Franco, Riley Mott)
- Intrepid (Héctor Barrios, Jeff Mullins)
- Trial by fire (Martin García, Bob Baffert)
- Right to Party (Chris Elliott, Kenny McPeek)
- Commandment (Luis Saez, Brad Cox)
- Danon Bourbon (Atsuya Nishimura, Manabu Ikezoe)
- Very happy (Mike Smith, Mark Glat)
- The Puma (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado)
- Marvel (DeanRyusei Sakai, Daisuke Takayanagi)
- Incredibolt (Jamie Torres, Riley Mott)
- Chief Wallabee (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott)
- Silent Tactics (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse)
- Powerful (Juan Hernández, Bob Baffer)
- Emerging market (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
- Pavlovian (Edwin Maldonado, Doug O’Neill)
- Six Speed (Brian Hernandez Jr., Bhupat Seemar)
- More Ado About Nothing (John Velázquez, Brad Cox)
- Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux)
- All the effort (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox)
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Access a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and strengthen your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or tolerate illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Future Publishing does not endorse or approve the consumption of paid pirated content.
