How NBC Sports Plans to Cover Kentucky Derby
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, known as The Run for the Roses, is scheduled for 6:57 p.m. That race is the 12th of 14 on the day.
USA Network and Peacock have Kentucky Oaks Day races, also at Churchill Downs, on Friday, May 3. Those two networks go live on Derby Day, May 4, at 12 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports will air 15 races from both Kentucky Oaks Day and the Kentucky Derby.
Mike Tirico hosts for NBC, his eighth time covering the Derby. Analysts are Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss (not to be confused with former NFL star Randy Moss). Reporters include Britney Eurton, Donna Brothers, Kenny Rice and Nick Luck. Dylan Dreyer, NBC News meteorologist, is fashion and lifestyle host, and Zanna Roberts Rassi of E! News is the fashion and lifestyle reporter. Steve Kornacki, NBC News national political correspondent, is insights analyst for the Derby.
Telemundo Deportes will start Derby coverage Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on Universo, and streaming on TelemundoDeportes.com and the Telemundo app. Miguel Gurwitz is host, Jose Francisco Rivera is announcer and Ariana Figuera is sideline reporter.
Horses with a shot at winning include Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Forever Young.
NBC, host of the Summer Olympics, will be playing up the Games, which start July 26 in Paris, during the Derby. Team USA breaker Sunny Choi will give the ‘Riders Up’ call for the Kentucky Oaks, various Olympians will be on site at Churchill Downs, and NBC said an “enormous set of Olympic Rings” will be visible at the racetrack.
The senior producer of NBC Sports’ Derby coverage is Lindsay Schanzer. The director is Kaare Numme.
The Kentucky Derby was first held in 1875.
