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2026 Kentucky Derby: What Time Does the Big Race Start?

The 152nd Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, and post time at 6:57 p.m. ET.
Dubbed the "Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," the annual "Run for the Roses" extends its run as America's longest continuously held sporting event and the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Churchill Downs increased the total purse to $5 million for the 2026 event featuring 20 horses, while second place earns $1 million and the winning jockey typically collects 10% of the purse.
Derby Day features 14 races starting as early as 11 a.m. ET, with 150,000 attendees expected to dress in floral-print dresses and seersucker suits, marking the world's most fashionable sporting event.
Before the main race, horses undergo the traditional walkover from stables to the paddock, where trainers, owners, and grooms accompany riders emerging from the jockeys' room to meet their mounts.

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