How to stream the Kentucky Derby live: watch the race from anywhere

The 'Run for the Roses' is back at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, with fan-favorites and European upstarts all eyeing that Derby win. This year marks the 144th annual Kentucky Derby, widely known as the most bet-upon horse racing event in the calendar.

But betting is no fun unless you're watching along (or, to be fair, winning, and we're going to tell you how you can live stream all of this year's action, wherever you are in the world.

Morning line favorite Justice, fresh from its Santa Anita Derby win will undoubtedly be drawing a large crowd and big bets; the Bob Baffert-trained beauty is running on odds of 3-1. Given that the last five editions of the Derby have been won by the favorite, all eyes are on Justice.

Coming up right behind him is Mendelssohn at 5-1, hoping to be the first horse trained in Europe to ever win the Kentucky Derby, and take home the lion's share of that $2 million prize purse.

Whoever wins, there's sure to be a large crowd in attendance, with estimated crowds of over 100,000 people making their way to Louisville, Kentucky to the infamous Churchill Downs.

If you don't fancy braving the crowds, standing out in the changeable weather, or even if you're not in the country, fear not, because here you'll find out how to watch the Derby from anywhere in the world.

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How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2018: US live stream

If you live in the US, you'll be wanting to tune in to NBC where there's coverage of the whole event, including Friday's Kentucky Oaks, then Saturday's prep, red carpet, and then the Derby itself.

If you prefer to watch the race on your computer or laptop, remember that the whole event will be streamed live online at nbcsports.com/live starting at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT on Saturday May 5.

For those on the go, NBC will stream this year’s Derby on mobile via the official NBC app. It's worth noting that with both of these options you will have to sign in using your cable provider’s information for full access.

If you've got a cable subsription but happen to not be in the US when the Derby takes place, the best way to get access to your feed is by using a VPN. Below you'll find all the information on how to download and use a VPN to watch the race.

How to watch in the US without cable

If you don't have a cable subscription, fear not, because there are other options that will allow you to watch NBC without having to subscribe to it. To make the entire process simple for you, we've listed three of our favorite options below:

DIRECTV NOW $50 per month - DIRECTV NOW gives users all the channels needed to watch the racing and loads of other sporting events. Use DIRECTV NOW’s 7-day trial will let you test out the platform.
Sling TV $40 per month - Sling TV is an inexpensive way to watch sport. Sling TV is compatible with Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Chromecast as well as lots of other devices and its easy to get started with a 7-day free trial.
fuboTV $19.99 for the first month - fuboTV has a low introductory price though after that the price goes up to $44.99 a month and includes 70 channels. There's a 7-day trial available so you can test out its functionality for yourself.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2018: Canada live stream

If you're wanting to tune in to the Kentucky Derby 2018 from Canada, you'll want to head over to TSN. For the Oaks on Friday you'll want to tune into TSN 2 at 5pm, and for the main Derby on Saturday you'll want TSN 1 at 4pm.

Much like your American counterparts, TSN offers a desktop viewing experience at TSN.ca, and through the official TSN app. Again, like your neighbors to the south, you'll need a subscription in order to watch this way.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2018: UK live stream

If you're in the UK and fancy a flutter on the US version of the Derby, then you can watch with a Sky TV (or Virgin Media) subscription. You don't need to upgrade to a Sports package to enjoy the action, as it's on the At The Races channel, which is available to all Sky TV subscribers.

If you're a despairing non-Sky user who just wants to watch the racing without the hassle and cost of a full subscription, you can subscribe to the At The Races Player instead. It costs £9.99 per month, and let's you access the action on phone and tablet via its apps as well.

Images courtesy of kentuckyderby.com