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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Let’s get right to the point. The Kentucky Derby is set to start just before 7 p.m. EDT Saturday in the commonwealth of bourbon and horse racing.
To be even more specific, post time is 6:57 p.m. EDT, although it’s not uncommon for it to be a few minutes later. But not too many minutes, just a couple.
It’s not difficult math to figure out what that means for you since you know where you live but we don’t. So, let’s go down the list.
- On the East Coast it’s the same, 6:57 p.m.
- If in the Central time zone, say Chicago, it’s 5:57 p.m.
- Moving West to the Mountain time zone, we’ll say Boulder instead of Denver for no particular reason, it’s at 4:57 p.m.
- And finally, the time zone that most readers of the Times care about which covers the West Coast, it will be at 3:57 p.m.
It’s pretty much been at the same time for quite some time. But, some of us can’t remember what we had for dinner last night so it’s not unreasonable to assume you can’t remember the time of a horse race from a year ago.
There is also some familiarity of where to find it on television or one of your streaming services. This will be NBC’s 25th presentation of the Derby.
Mike Tirico will be the host for the ninth time.
“For me, I love it because you have no idea what’s going to happen when you climb onto that set,” Tirico said. “We’ve had everything from the rainiest Derby to the tightest finish with three horses in the Derby, to horses being disqualified, to everything imaginable.
Journalism trainer Michael McCarthy and Aron Wellman, managing partner of Journalism’s ownership group, broke into the business together and have strong bond.
“The one thing that is true across all of it, every place I go, every sport I cover, everybody tends to ask, “Boy, what is it like to be at the Derby?”
OK, enough of the reminiscing. Where can you find the coverage?
For simplicity sake, we’re going to use Louisville time, so those in Los Angeles can subtract three hours.
From noon until 2:30 p.m. (or 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) you can find the coverage on USA and Peacock. From 2:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) it’s on the NBC stations and, of course, Peacock. What’s not on Peacock?
Now in Los Angeles and New York, it’s on Channel 4. Chicago is Channel 5 and in Denver/Boulder it’s Channel 9.
Rodriguez, one of two Bob Baffert-trained horses that were scheduled to run in the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday, has been scratched from the race.
Finally, if you are at a Kentucky Derby party with a Derby pool, the horse you want is Journalism. He’s a Santa Anita horse that has just been fantastic. His win in the Santa Anita Derby was breathtaking, not because of his dominance but the amount of trouble he had to overcome to win.
As for what to wear, if you’re a woman, a fancy hat. If you’re a man, well, it doesn’t matter because everyone will be looking at the hats.
Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage. But, if you must, drink with a straw from the bottom. That’s where the sugar is.
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