2019 Kentucky Derby live stream: how to watch today's race from anywhere

It's Derby day and all eyes are on Churchill Downs - it's time for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. This year marks the 145th annual Run for the Roses, 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 get a 2019 Kentucky Derby live stream of all this year's action, wherever you are in the world. The winning part we'll leave to you to sort.

This year sees the prize purse increase from the usual $2 million to a staggering $3 million. The grade I stakes races is for just 20 three-year-old thoroughbreds who will run the one and a quarter mile course – one that's been there since 1875.

The highest qualifying point holder is Tacitus and jockey Jose Ortiz with 150 points, in second is Omaha Beach ridden by Mike E. Smith at 137.5 points and third is Vekoma at 110 points with the jockey Javier Castellano. Other horses to look out for include Maximum Security who won the Florida Derby, Game Winner who came second at the Santa Anita Derby, and Long Range Toddy who is highly rated right now.

Whoever wins, there's sure to be a large crowd in attendance, with estimated masses of over 100,000 people making their way to Louisville, Kentucky to the famous 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 a Kentucky Derby live stream from anywhere in the world.

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How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2019: 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 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 4.

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 subscription 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.

Want to stream even more sport? Check out TechRadar's best sport streaming sites guide

How to get a Kentucky Derby live stream from outside your country

With your watching options covered for the US, Canada and UK in this article, you'd think that's all you need to know, right? Well sure...unless you're abroad this weekend.

Try to tune in from overseas and you'll soon discover that your coverage is geo-blocked. Annoying, but your race is not yet run.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby 2019: Canada live stream

If you're wanting to tune in to the Kentucky Derby 2019 from Canada, you'll want to head over to TSN. For the 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 a Kentucky Derby live stream in the UK

You can watch all the Kentucky Derby live stream action you can handle on the Sky Sports Racing channel. The great news is that you don't need a full Sky Sports plan to watch...this station is available on the basic level of Sky TV.

Want to watch but don't want to subscribe to Sky just for one race? Then you may find a Now TV Sports Pass to be the answer. Pay for a day pass (£8.99), week pass (£14.99) or month pass (£33.99) and get every single Sky Sports channel for that time period included and all the extra action that comes along with it.