Kentucky Derby 2020 Post Time: Race Schedule, Live Stream and NBC TV Info
Four months after it was originally scheduled, the 2020 Kentucky Derby is finally here with a field of 17 thoroughbreds vying to win the most prestigious event in horse racing on Saturday.
This year marked just the second time in the Kentucky Derby's 146-year history it had to be rescheduled. The last time came in 1945 due to World War II. The Run for the Roses is also the second leg of the Triple Crown this year, coming more than two months after the Belmont Stakes.
As you prepare to watch the most exciting two minutes in sports, here's all of the viewing information needed to get ready.
2020 Kentucky Derby Viewing Information
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
Network: NBC
Post Time: 6:50 p.m. ET (coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: NBCSports.com
2020 Kentucky Derby Post Positions
1. Finnick the Fierce
2. Max Player
3. Enforceable
4. Storm the Court
5. Major Fed
6. King Guillermo (scratched)
7. Money Moves
8. South Bend
9. Mr. Big News
10. Thousand Words
11. Necker Island
12. Sole Volante
13. Attachment Rate
14. Winning Impression
15. Ny Traffic
16. Honor A. P.
17. Tiz the Law
18. Authentic
One benefit for Tiz the Law, who won the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, in his quest for the Triple Crown is the adjusted schedule has given his team more time between races to prepare the horse.
Unlike this year's Belmont Stakes, which was reduced from its traditional 12 furlongs to nine to ease the stress on the horses, the Kentucky Derby will be contested at the normal 10 furlongs.
Tiz the Law has more than earned his status as the odds-on-favorite to win Saturday's race. The three-year-old colt has earned rave reviews for his dominance on the track in 2020, per Stephen Edelson of the Asbury Park Press:
"Has looked like a horse capable winning a Triple Crown with three straight Grade 1 wins, including the Belmont Stakes, with no one near him at the finish line and impressive Beyer Speed Figures in each, including a 109 in the Travers. Expect [jockey Manny] Franco to have him sitting just off the pace, before unleashing what has been a devastating late kick."
The most recent feather in Tiz the Law's cap was on Aug. 8 when he won the Travers Stakes in New York. The Saratoga Race Course event is the same distance as the Kentucky Derby.
No horse can match Tiz the Law's 2020 resume to this point. In addition to wins at the Travers and Belmont, the son of Constitution won the Florida Derby on March 28.
A horse hasn't won the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby in the same year since Always Dreaming in 2017. (Maximum Security would have joined the list, but he was disqualified from the Kentucky Derby for obstructing the path of other horses.)
Honor A. P. is making a strong case to challenge Tiz the Law for the top spot in Saturday's race. He won the Santa Anita Derby on June 6. The last Triple Crown winner, Justify, used Santa Anita as a springboard to his historic year in 2018.
Mike Curry of America's Best Racing broke down some of Honor A. P.'s speed metrics from the Santa Anita Derby:
"He accelerated right on cue with a powerful move on the turn and finished fairly well despite drifting in with a final eighth-of-a-mile in 12.87 seconds after stalking a solid pace. The speed figures were very encouraging: a new best 102 Beyer Speed Figure, an 11-point top 108 BrisNet Speed rating, a 105 Equibase Speed Figure (matched career best), and a 122 TimeForm speed rating."
If the track at Churchill Downs is fast on Saturday evening, the stage is set for a potential one-on-one showdown between Tiz the Law and Honor A. P. to prove which one of these thoroughbreds is the best in the world.
