What to Know About the 147th Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby, the oldest continuously held sporting event in the United States, returns to the first Saturday in May after being run last year in September without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coverage begins on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on NBC Sports Network and will continue on NBC at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Post time is 6:57 p.m.

Here’s what else you need to know about the 147th running of the race:

Fans return, but attendance is limited.

The pandemic wreaked havoc on the Triple Crown schedule in 2020. The Belmont Stakes, normally the final leg of the Triple Crown, was held in June, the Derby in September and the Preakness, usually the second of the three races, came last, with a new date in October. All return to their regular spots on the calendar this year and will allow a limited number of fans.

The Derby regularly brings a crowd of more than 150,000 to Churchill Downs. Organizers, while declining to give a set limit, said reserved seating, which normally accounts for about 60,000 people, would be limited to between 40 percent and 60 percent, depending on the seating area. An infield-only general admission ticket has recently been added and will be kept to about 25 percent to 30 percent capacity, they said. That would put the crowd at around 50,000.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/01/sports/horse-racing/kentucky-derby-start-time.html