Kentucky Derby 2025: Weather forecast, start time, horses and how to watch

The 2025 Kentucky Derby, held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, is a historic event for equestrian sport fans. The 2025 edition is the 151st iteration of the event, slated for May 3.

This race is the first leg of the Triple Crown and is also known as 'The Run for the Roses' because the winner is covered in a blanket of roses after their triumph. Besides this event, the other two legs are the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

The Kentucky Derby will kick off by honoring 19 horses with the garland of roses, and then witness them lock horns in a terrific showdown. The early favorite of this year's event is Journalism, which is trained by Michael McCarthy and has a streak of four consecutive wins.

Right after Journalism is Sandman, who has the odds of 5-1, and the lineup also features Luxor Cafe, the son of the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. A fiercely competitive lineup of horses will be seen in the event, showcasing their skills in predicted rainy weather conditions.

Here we will dive deep into the event, exploring the timings, entries, weather forecast, and where to watch the Kentucky Derby 2025.

Weather Forecast for Kentucky Derby 2025

As per reports, Churchill Downs in Louisville is likely to witness a 90% chance of showers during the day. Similar weather conditions are also projected during the night.

Timing of the Kentucky Derby 2025

The 151st Run for the Roses' post time is scheduled to start at 7:02 pm ET on Saturday, May 3. The coverage of the event will start at 2:30 pm ET.

Entries for the 2025 Kentucky Derby

19 horses will be squaring off against each other to notch the 151st Kentucky Derby's title on Saturday. The horses that will be gracing the event with their presence are:

Citizen Bull
Neoequos
Final gambit
American Promise
Admire Daytona
Luxor Cafe
Journalism
Burnham Square
Flying Mohawk
East Avenue
Publisher
Tiztastic
Render Judgment
Coal Battle
Sandman
Sovereignty
Chunk of Gold
Owen Almight
Baeza

How and where to watch the Kentucky Field 2025

The equestrian fans who won't be able to attend the event live can watch the event on NBC Sports. The channel announced a partnership with Churchill Downs in May 2024 to broadcast the event on NBC and Peacock till 2032. Along with this, the event will also stream on Fubo and will be available on USA Network.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

Know More

Edited by Hitesh Nigam