How to watch, and what to watch for in the 2022 Kentucky Derby

The 2022 Kentucky Derby is around the corner, and with it the beginning of the Triple Crown. It will be an attempt to return to normality, not just from the Covid pandemic, but controversy after Medina Spirit, the winner of the 2021 Derby, was disqualified due a positive test for betamethasone. The fallout from the test led to the suspension of trainer Bob Baffert from Churchill Downs until the conclusion of the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

This really shapes the 2022 race. The exclusion of Baffert opens up the field and truly makes it anyone’s race. It’s no so much that Baffert-trained horses won all the time, but that his presence was a constant when it came to the Triple Crown, and horses from his stable were always in the mix to at least place in the event.

The big favorite is 2022 is Zandon, currently listed at 3-1 odds. The three-year-old colt has been a force since beginning his career in late 2021, and while he only had four races to his name, Zandon has never finished lower than third. The horse enters the 2022 derby following a dominant almost-two second win at the Blue Grass Stakes in early April, which saw Zandon beat Smile Happy and Ethereal Road, both of whom are running in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Race day begins at noon ET on Saturday, May 7th on the USA Network, however there are numerous races ahead of the big one.

As for the Kentucky Derby itself, it is scheduled to begin at approximately 6:57 p.m., with broadcast live from Churchill Downs airing on NBC starting at 2:30 p.m. Streaming options are available numerous ways, including NBC.com, Peacock, NBC Sports and on the NBC app.

These will change as we approach race time, but here are the current odds for the 2022 Kentucky Derby ordered from favorites to longshots, as available from Churchill Downs.

Country music star Brittney Spencer is singing the national anthem before the race.

Also, if you want to really get in the mood for the event with a mint julep it’s super simple, assuming you can find good mint. I highly recommend Alton Brown’s recipe and technique, which works flawlessly.