The 150th Kentucky Derby will be covered live by The Athletic in 2024. This year’s 150th Kentucky Derby, an annual horse race held in Louisville, Kentucky, will take place on Saturday, May 4 on NBC/Peacock.
At Churchill Downs, renowned athletes, horse racing fans, and three employees of The Athletic will assemble for the yearly Run for the Roses.
Who is going to have the silliest headwear on? What information about Mystik Dan is necessary? What’s up on my screen, Tom Brady?
Here, are all the answers. Also, don’t forget to grab some ice for your mint juleps and buckle up for Derby Day, since NBC will be airing more than six hours of coverage. Everything you ought to know regarding the Kentucky Derby in 2024 is provided below.
Since a red rose blanket is draped over the victorious horse in the winner’s circle, it is often referred to as the “Run for the Roses.” Each year, only 20 horses are allowed to enter the field, and they do so by winning a number of point races.
Equestrians of any gender may enter the Kentucky Derby; however, three years old is the minimum requirement. Never before has a filly (a female horse) won the Kentucky Derby before Winning Colors’ victory in 1988.
Since 1975, the Kentucky Derby has had a field of no more than 20 horses. If a horse withdraws, or scratches, from the race in the days preceding up to the Derby, more horses can join the field until the scratch deadline. Last year’s Derby field consisted of 18 horses, with five scratched from the event.
Fierceness, the winner of March’s Florida Derby, was declared the morning line favorite by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia at 5-2 odds. Sierra Leone (3-1) and Catching Freedom (8-1) trailed the bay colt on the morning line odds.
Tickets for the Kentucky Derby remained available in the days preceding up to the race, with prices ranging from $130 to five figures. The main race is the 12th of the day at Churchill Downs — the first race starts at 10:30 a.m. EDT — and two more races are scheduled for Saturday night after the Derby.
The $130 tickets cover public entry to the racetrack’s infield. While the area is surrounded by the track, tickets are available on Ticketmaster with the warning that they do not include a seat, a view of the track, or access to Churchill Downs’ frontside and freshly refurbished paddock area.
Tickets were offered for $275 for a section of the infield near the final bend, where the horses would sprint down the homestretch to the finish line. Those tickets also do not include seats or a view of the track, and a $52 service fee is added on Ticketmaster. Tickets for reserved seats at Churchill Downs were recently on sale for Derby day, with prices ranging from $750 (plus a $127 fee) to $3,500 (plus a $595 cost).
Secretariat set the record for the quickest Kentucky Derby time in 1973, covering 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.40. Monarchos set the second-fastest Derby record in 2001, winning in 1:59.97. The Kentucky Horse race will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.