Record 7.5 Hours of 149th Kentucky Derby Coverage on NBC & Peacock on May 6th

NBC Sports presents 7.5 hours of the 149th Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock this Saturday, May 6, beginning at noon ET live from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., marking the most hours ever on broadcast for the event.

NBC Sports’ Derby day coverage features nine races across NBC and Peacock on Saturday. Live coverage from Churchill Downs begins with five hours of Kentucky Oaks day racing this Friday, May 5, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Over the two days, NBC Sports will present 15 live races from Churchill Downs.

For the first time, Telemundo Deportes will present coverage of the Kentucky Derby, beginning Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on Universo, and streaming on TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo app.

The 149th Kentucky Derby features likely morning-line favorite Forte, who has won six of seven career starts, including the Florida Derby (G1) in his last start in April, and finished as the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leader. Other contenders include 2023 Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Practical Move, this year’s Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Angel of Empire, 2023 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Tapit Trice, and 2023 UAE Derby (G2) winner Derma Sotogake.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the Kentucky Derby features host Mike Tirico, anchoring Derby coverage for the seventh time; analysts Jerry Bailey, the Hall of Fame jockey and two-time Kentucky Derby winner, and Randy Moss, who is covering the Derby for the 43rd time; handicappers Eddie Olczyk and Matt Bernier; host Ahmed Fareed; reporters Britney Eurton, Donna Brothers, Kenny Rice, and Nick Luck; and race caller Larry Collmus. Rebecca Lowe also returns to NBC Sports’ coverage and will examine the traditions and pageantry surrounding the “Run for the Roses.”

Steve Kornacki, NBC News’ national political correspondent, returns to NBC Sports’ Kentucky Derby coverage as an insights analyst for the third year. NBC Sports’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. will serve as a contributor, while Matthew Berry makes his Derby debut to offer a unique look at betting on horse racing’s biggest event.

NBC News’ Dylan Dreyer, who has previously been part of NBC Sports’ Kentucky Derby and Royal Ascot horse racing coverage, and E!’s Sanya Richards-Ross, who returns for her second Derby, will serve as fashion and lifestyle correspondents. NBC Sports’ Tim Layden will write and narrate an essay on the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s track record Derby win en route to his historic Triple Crown in 1973.

The senior producer of NBC Sports’ Kentucky Derby coverage is Lindsay Schanzer. The Kentucky Derby is directed by Kaare Numme. Saturday’s early race coverage is produced by Billy Matthews and directed by Jared Sumner. Executive producer and president, NBC Sports Production is Sam Flood.

Highlights of Kentucky Derby coverage Saturday on NBC and Peacock include:

• Nine races during NBC and Peacock’s record 7.5 hours of coverage (15 live races over Friday’s and Saturday’s total coverage)
• “Horsepower with Dale Jr. and Jerry” featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jerry Bailey discussing race strategy from one racetrack to the other
• A look at the basics of betting the races during “Handicapping 101 with Matthew Berry”
• An update on 2022 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody’s Wish and the Dorman family, including the horse’s namesake, Cody
• A seat at the table for Sunday dinner with Mike Repole, the owner of Forte, and his family, as he aims to win his first-ever Derby
• Profile on Louisville native trainer Brad Cox, who is expected to saddle up four horses in this year’s Derby field — Angel of Empire, Verifying, Hit Show, and Jace’s Road
• “Kentucky Derby for 3-Year-Olds” segment in which three-year-old children race on stick horses in their running of the Derby, which features horses of the same age
• Two-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes will give the Derby ‘Riders Up’ command during the broadcast
• A live drone, two live jockey cam systems and a cinematic camera will be utilized in Derby coverage (among 50 total cameras)
• The 360 Glam Cam on the red carpet for celebrities to show off their Derby Day outfits and make their race picks
• A camera focused on race caller Larry Collmus
• A POV camera in the stewards room