Kentucky Derby 2019 Post Time, TV Schedule and Weather Forecast for 145th Race
In what has become a coincidental annual tradition, the Kentucky Derby will once again run in wet conditions.
According to AccuWeather's Renee Duff and Alex Sosnowski, Churchill Downs is expected to see steady rain Saturday. This would mark the third straight year of precipitation in Louisville for The Run for the Roses, with 2018 marking the most rainfall in the event's storied history.
Last year, Justify overcame 3.15 inches of rainfall and heavy wind to commence his Triple Crown run. While that record appears safe, this year's contenders will likely need to navigate a muddy course to conquer The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Let's examine how Saturday's weather forecast could affect the 145th Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby Information
Date: Saturday, May 4
TV Info: NBC
TV Coverage Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Post Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Weather Forecast
Per Duff and Sosnowski, the rain could subside by the evening's post time. Their article, however, quotes colleague Brian Thompson stating that the field is still unlikely to see a dry track.
"Even if the rain quits a short time before the start of the race, despite the fact that the track drains well, conditions are likely to be sloppy for this year's Derby," Thompson said.
Thunder is also possible, but there is a diminished risk of lightning. AccuWeather anticipates a high temperature of 66 degrees for Saturday evening.
The damp conditions could be bad news for two top contenders. As noted by Forbes' Teresa Genaro, neither Game Winner nor Roadster has raced on an off track.
Improbable, the other colt from the favored trio trained by Bob Baffert, finished a close second at a sloppy Arkansas Derby course. It marked the second time in as many races this year that he placed directly behind a victorious Omaha Beach, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched because of entrapped epiglottis.
Despite possessing the three leading favorites in light of Omaha Beach's withdrawal, Baffert insists that the Derby remains anyone's race. Courtesy of the Paulick Report, the trainer said the weather makes Saturday's showcase even more unpredictable.
"I think I've got three nice horses, but it's still a very wide-open race," Baffert said. "There are 10 horses that I think are within a length of each other. It's whoever gets the trip. And especially now that it's going to rain, we don't know what is going to happen."
One such threat is Maximum Security, who handled a muddy course convincingly when notching a wire-to-wire victory at the Xpressbet Florida Derby. He's undefeated in four tries, starting with a claiming race wherein the debuting colt was made available for $16,000.
Per Frank Angst of BloodHorse, Maximum Security will look to become the first Kentucky Derby winner who collected his first victory in a maiden-claiming competition since Mine That Bird in 2009. He has exhibited swift speed out of the gate, but setting the pace will prove tougher in such a crowded field. So will sustaining that burst over 10 furlongs.
Win Win Win, on the other hand, is a strong closer in need of a better starting jolt. Yet with a decent beginning, his style could lean right into messy conditions.
The Washington Post's Neil Greenberg pegged the descendant of 2004 Derby winner Smarty Jones as a worthy underdog on a rainy Saturday. He cited a 4.50 Dosage Index, a ratio of speed and stamina, that compares favorably to four of the past six Derby winners.
Win Win Win made up considerable ground to place third at the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and second behind Vekoma at the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. A longer course gives him more time to tighten the gap with a whirlwind finish, making him a horse to watch if he can hold his own in the opening lengths.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
