Kentucky Derby Countdown

The Kentucky Derby runs the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in Louisville — 'the fastest two minutes in sports,' and the oldest continuously held major sporting event in America. This countdown targets the next post time.

How many days until The Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 1, 2027, which is 274 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.

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Kentucky Derby Records

Fastest winning time1:59 2/5 — Secretariat, 1973, the only sub-2:00 Derby

Most wins by a jockey5 — Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack, tied

Most wins by a trainer6 — Ben A. Jones and Bob Baffert, tied

Largest margin of victory8 lengths — achieved 4 times, most recently Assault (1946)

Largest field23 horses, 1974 centennial Derby (capped at 20 every year since 1975)

Closest finishWon by a nose — most recently Mystik Dan over Sierra Leone and Forever Young, 2024

Kentucky Derby Winners, Last 15 Years

2026Golden Tempo — Jose Ortiz, 2:02.27 — trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first woman to train a Derby winner

2025Sovereignty — Junior Alvarado, won by 1½ lengths

2024Mystik Dan — Brian Hernandez Jr., won by a nose in a 3-horse photo finish

2023Mage — Javier Castellano

2022Rich Strike — Sonny Leon, 80-1 — 2nd-biggest upset in Derby history

2021Mandaloun — awarded the win after Medina Spirit was disqualified

2020Authentic — John Velazquez; race run in September due to the pandemic

2019Country House — awarded the win after Maximum Security was disqualified

2018Justify — Mike Smith; went on to win the Triple Crown

2017Always Dreaming — John Velazquez

2016Nyquist — Mario Gutierrez

2015American Pharoah — Victor Espinoza; went on to win the Triple Crown

2014California Chrome — Victor Espinoza

2013Orb — Joel Rosario

2012I'll Have Another — Mario Gutierrez

Unbroken since 1875

The Derby has been run every single year since 1875 — through two world wars, the Depression and a pandemic (2020's was postponed to September, but run). No other major American sporting event has an unbroken streak that long.

Roses, juleks and 150,000 hats

The winner is blanketed in 554 red roses, the crowd drinks nearly 120,000 mint juleps, and the infield alone holds tens of thousands. The race itself: a mile and a quarter, twenty 3-year-olds, about two minutes.

Quick facts

Run the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs since 1875
America's oldest continuously held major sporting event
The winner receives a garland of 554 roses
Roughly 120,000 mint juleps are served Derby weekend

How to watch Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby airs live nationally on NBC, with simultaneous streaming on Peacock; NBC has held exclusive US broadcast rights since 2001.

Kentucky Derby official site

Learn more

Kentucky Derby Wikipedia

The Kentucky Derby — frequently asked questions

When is The Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 1, 2027.

How many days until The Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 1, 2027, which is 274 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.

Updated July 2026 · alarm-clock.org

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