Kentucky Derby 2020: Post Time, TV Schedule and Live Stream Hub for 146th Race
It's five months later than usual but the buzz surrounding the 2020 Kentucky Derby is just as high as usual.
The 146th running of the race is set to happen on Saturday, September 5. The race was postponed from its traditional date in May due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's event brings the same intrigue as usual. A special horse is attempting to join the history books as the 14th horse to claim victory at the Derby, Belmont and Preakness.
Tiz the Law enters the race as the odds-on favorite and the only Triple Crown hopeful. The schedule change has made the Churchill Downs race the second jewel of the Triple Crown instead of the first. Tiz the Law put on a show at the Belmont, winning by 3 3/4 lengths.
The field he will see in Louisville is very different than the one in New York. To capture his next big win he'll have to manage a field of 18 entrants, many of which did not run in a shortened Belmont race.
Here's all the info you'll need to make sure you don't miss a history Run for the Roses.
Date: Saturday, September 5
Post Time: 7:01 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Latest Odds and Field
Tiz the Law: 3-5
Honor A. P.: 5-1
Authentic: 8-1
Thousand Words: 15-1
Ny Traffic: 20-1
Money Moves: 30-1
Enforceable: 30-1
Max Player: 30-1
Sole Volante: 30-1
South Bend: 50-1
Necker Island: 50-1
Mr. Big News: 50-1
Storm the Court: 50-1
Attachment Rate: 50-1
Winning Impression: 50-1
Major Fed: 50-1
Finnick the Fierce: 50-1
Source: Official Kentucky Derby Website
Storylines to Watch
Can Tiz the Law Continue His Triple Crown Bid?
There's no doubt the Triple Crown is always more interesting when there's a legitimate contender to win all three legs of the series. After his thrilling performance at the Belmont, it's clear that Tiz the Law is in that tier.
The Barclay Tagg-trained colt breezed by the competition in New York. Then he did the same thing in the Travers Stakes, another race that was 1¼ mile, so we know he'll be able to handle the same distance in Louisville.
The lone blemish on Tiz the Law's track record came as a two-year-old at Churchill Downs. However, his third-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes could be explained by his inside starting position.
"I like a fast track for him, but he seems to handle everything," Tagg said of his horse, per Byron King of Bloodhorse. "He was pretty young and pretty green then. He didn't come out of the gate good. He kind of left one hind leg there, slithered out of there, and (opposing jockeys) could control him, what they wanted to do. It was pretty easy to keep him blocked in there."
That won't be an issue for him on Saturday. The favorite was the last horse to have his name drawn for post positions and will be breaking from the No. 17 gate. It's a spot that has never yielded a Derby winner, but a new starting gate actually makes it seem like he's breaking from the No. 18 spot, so the point might be moot.
Still, there's a 17-horse field to navigate, and the Derby is known for its unpredictability, especially as it pertains to heavy favorites.
Tiz the Law has the opportunity to prove to be a special horse, and that's the No. 1 reason to tune in on Saturday.
Will a Preakness Challenger Appear?
Assuming Tiz the Law does, in fact, beat the field to claim his second jewel of the Triple Crown, the focus will simply shift to the Preakness.
The Belmont was shortened from its usual 1½-mile format to just 1⅛ mile, so the distance element of the series has changed this year. That means the 1 3/16-mile Preakness will set up another test of Tiz the Law's speed.
Whether there's any horse that can match that at the distance is something we will find out in the Derby.
Honor A. P. and Authentic are the two biggest names to watch in the Derby itself, although there are other horses to keep an eye on in the undercard. Specifically, the Pat Day Mile has some talented horses who are opting out of the Derby in favor of the shorter race but may be willing to offer competition in Maryland.
Neither Honor A. P. nor Authentic have run head-to-head against Tiz the Law, yet they'll have starting gates right beside him on Saturday. They have alternated wins against each other and have looked good against the other horses in this class.
After Tiz the Law's dominant win in the Belmont, either one of those horses has a shot to at least make the Triple Crown interesting even if they come up short at Churchill Downs.
Can a Longshot Play Disruptor?
Looking at the odds, this is a fairly top-heavy field. Only three horses have lower than 10-1 odds in the field, while 12 of the 18 are pegged at 30-1 or higher.
But that doesn't mean those horses should be discounted entirely. Last year's Derby winner Country House came in at 30-1, albeit he won after initial winner Maximum Security was disqualified for interference.
Even without the disqualification, he was set up to ruin a lot of exacta and trifectas. It's not an uncommon occurrence under the Twin Spires, either. A horse whose morning odds were 30-1 or higher has placed in the top three in two of the last three Derbies.
One such horse who could throw a wrench in bets on Saturday is Max Player. He doesn't have the top-end speed of the favorites—his best speed figure of the year topped out at 105, while Tiz the Law has been over 112 in every race—but he's been well-conditioned to run well in the longer races and should be able to spring through the final stretch.
