How to Watch the 2024 Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock

Do you hear that? Unless we're very much mistaken, it's the sound of thundering hooves making their way to Louisville's hallowed Churchill Downs for the 150th annual Kentucky Derby.

The traditional horse race famously sponsored by Woodford Reserve will take place Saturday, May 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET. If you can't make it down South to watch the celebrated competition between exceptionally elevated equine challengers, there's no need for a long face — NBC and Peacock have you covered!

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Peacock currently offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($5.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($11.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!

More generally speaking, NBC Sports is the exclusive home to the biggest events in horse racing, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Nyquist, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, and Gun Runner, ridden by Florent Geroux, come out of the fourth turn during the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 07, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

How Much Money Does the Winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby Earn?

Whomever finishes in first place will take home a rather handsome sum of $3.1 million. Second place will net $1 million while third, fourth, and fifth net $500,000, $250,000, and $150,000 respectively. That all adds up to a sum total of $5 million, the largest purse of any Kentucky Derby since the race first began in 1875.

"These record purse increases are a symbol of the health of horse racing in Kentucky," Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc., said in a statement to NBC Sports.

This year's most favored competitors — otherwise known as the "Elite 8" — include Fierceness, Sierra Leone, Forever Young, Catching Freedom, Just Steel, Honor Marie, Just A Touch, and Endlessly. For a more thorough(bred) rundown of each horse and their odds of taking home some serious cash, click here.

To qualify for the Kentucky Derby, all 20 competing horses "must travel along ... a series of designated races at tracks across the country and around the world," reads the official website. "Points are awarded to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points will earn a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Churchill Downs introduced the 'Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby' to provide a potential entry in the Kentucky Derby for a horse based in Japan and the 'European Road to the Kentucky Derby' extending an invite to European horsemen as well."