Kentucky Derby 2027: Date, UK Time and How the Race Works
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 10 min read
The Kentucky Derby 2027 will be run on Saturday 1 May 2027 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It will be the 153rd running, and the official Kentucky Derby ticket page already lists “Saturday May 1st, 2027”, with the Kentucky Oaks the day before, on Friday 30 April. The Kentucky Derby is a mile and a quarter on dirt for three-year-olds, with up to 20 runners, and it is the first leg of the American Triple Crown. In 2026 the post time was 6:57pm Eastern, which is 3 minutes to midnight in the UK.
This guide is for British and Irish fans who want to follow the race properly: when it is on UK clocks, how horses earn their place through the points system (including the European route), what the Triple Crown is, what the records are, and how betting on the Kentucky Derby works from the UK. We don’t publish tips or favourites.
When Is the Kentucky Derby 2027?
The race is held every year on the first Saturday in May, according to the Kentucky Derby article on Wikipedia. In 2027 that falls on 1 May.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday 1 May 2027 (153rd running) |
| Course | Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Distance | 1 1/4 miles (10 furlongs, 2,012 metres) on dirt |
| Runners | Three-year-olds, up to 20 starters |
| Weights | Colts and geldings 126lb (57kg), fillies 121lb (55kg) |
| Purse | $5 million, $3.1 million to the winner (2026) |
| Post time | 6:57pm Eastern in 2026 (11:57pm UK) |
| Day before | Kentucky Oaks, Friday 30 April 2027 |
Kentucky Derby Time in the UK
In early May both countries are on summer time: Kentucky on Eastern Daylight Time (four hours behind GMT) and Britain on BST (one hour ahead of GMT). That makes Kentucky five hours behind the UK. NBC Sports gave the 2026 post time as 6:57pm Eastern, adding that it can shift slightly depending on how the horses load, so in the UK the race goes off a few minutes before midnight on the Saturday night. Churchill Downs normally confirms the post time in the spring; we’ll update this page when it does.
When Was the First Kentucky Derby?
The first Kentucky Derby was run on 17 May 1875. Wikipedia notes that its original distance was modelled on the Epsom Derby, which is where the name comes from. If you want the British side of the story, our guide to the Epsom Derby covers the original.
The Kentucky Oaks
The Oaks, for three-year-old fillies, is run at Churchill Downs on the Friday. The ticket page lists Friday 30 April 2027. Like its English model, the Epsom Oaks, it is the fillies’ equivalent of the Derby, and a handful of fillies have instead taken on the colts in the Derby itself, carrying 5lb less.
How Horses Qualify: the Road to the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is not a handicap and there is no ballot by ratings. Instead, places in the 20-horse starting gate are earned through a season-long points system called the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The Points System
According to Wikipedia’s article on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, points are awarded to the first five in designated races through the winter and spring:
| Stage | Points to the first five | Example races |
|---|---|---|
| Prep season | 10-4-3-2-1 | Two-year-old and early three-year-old stakes |
| Breeders’ Cup Juvenile | 20-8-4-2 (since 2016) | The main two-year-old championship race |
| Championship series, first leg | 50-20-15-10-5 | Late winter preps |
| Final preps (“Super Six”) | 100-50-25-15-10 | Florida Derby, Santa Anita Derby, Arkansas Derby, Louisiana Derby, Blue Grass, Wood Memorial |
Up to 24 horses can be entered; the top 20 by points get in, and the next four are “also eligible” if anyone drops out. Wikipedia notes that ties are broken by earnings in non-restricted stakes, and that fillies must earn points in the same races as colts. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the autumn is the first big points race of the season.
The European Route
Since 2018 there has been a separate road for European horses. Wikipedia records that the first European Road had seven races: four in Great Britain (the Royal Lodge, the Racing Post Trophy, a conditions stakes and the Burradon), two in Ireland (the Beresford and the Patton) and one in France (the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère). For 2025 it was rebranded the Euro/Mideast Road, adding the UAE Derby. A spot in the gate is offered to the leading horse on this road, on the same basis as the Japan Road, which reserves one place for the top Japanese horse and passes the offer down to the second and third if the leader declines.
Why So Few European Horses Run
The European route exists, but the Kentucky Derby is run on dirt, and almost all British and Irish two-year-olds race on turf or all-weather. The early pace on American dirt is fast and the kickback (dirt thrown into the faces of horses behind) is something European horses rarely meet at home. The trip to Louisville comes in early May, right on top of the British Classics: the 2000 Guineas is run at Newmarket in early May, and the Epsom Derby follows in June.
The Triple Crown
The Kentucky Derby is the first of three American races for three-year-olds that make up the Triple Crown. Our page on how to bet on the Preakness covers the second leg in detail.
The Three Races
| Race | Distance | 2027 venue |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Derby | 1 1/4 miles | Churchill Downs, Saturday 1 May |
| Preakness Stakes | 1 3/16 miles | Expected to return to Pimlico, Baltimore |
| Belmont Stakes | 1 1/2 miles | Expected to return to Belmont Park, New York |
Wikipedia’s Triple Crown article says the Belmont was run at Saratoga over a mile and a quarter from 2024 to 2026 while Belmont Park was rebuilt, and that the Preakness was run at Laurel Park in 2026 during work at Pimlico. For 2027 it gives 22 days between the Derby and the Preakness and 13 days between the Preakness and the Belmont.
The 13 Triple Crown Winners
Only 13 horses have won all three races: Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978), American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018). The 37-year gap between Affirmed and American Pharoah shows how hard it is to win three races in five weeks at three different distances.
Kentucky Derby Records and Recent Winners
Secretariat’s Record
Secretariat won the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.40, still the fastest time in the race’s history, according to Wikipedia. Over ten furlongs, that is an average of about 37.7mph (10 furlongs is 2,012 metres; 2,012m in 119.4 seconds is 16.85 metres a second). Our guide to how fast a horse can run puts that in context with other racing records.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Golden Tempo | Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the first woman to train a Derby winner |
| 2025 | Sovereignty | Trained by Bill Mott for Godolphin |
Golden Tempo won on 2 May 2026; Wikipedia records Cherie DeVaux as the first female trainer to win the race. Sovereignty, the 2025 winner, was trained by Bill Mott and owned by Godolphin, a name British racing fans know well.
How to Bet on the Kentucky Derby From the UK
UK bookmakers price the Kentucky Derby like other big international races. Ante-post markets run through the spring as the points races are decided, and the full market opens once the field and post positions are drawn in Derby week. Only bet if you are 18 or over.
American Odds, Tote Boards and Fixed Odds
In the United States, Derby betting is pari-mutuel: your payout depends on the pool after the track’s deduction, and the final odds are only fixed when the gates open. The tote board shows odds like 5-1 (the same as 5/1 here), and American sportsbooks write them as +500. A UK bookmaker gives you a fixed price instead, which can be bigger or smaller than the final tote odds. Our odds converter switches between American, fractional and decimal odds.
Each Way on a 20-Runner Field
The Kentucky Derby is not a handicap, so the standard UK terms explained in our guide to each way betting are three places at 1/5 of the odds. Some bookmakers offer extra places on the race.
Worked example: £5 each way at 20/1 (a £10 stake), three places at 1/5. The place odds are 20/1 x 1/5 = 4/1.
| Result | Win half | Place half | Total return | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | £5 x 20 = £100, plus £5 = £105 | £5 x 4 = £20, plus £5 = £25 | £130 | £120 profit |
| 2nd or 3rd | Loses | £25 | £25 | £15 profit |
| 4th, with a four-place offer | Loses | £25 | £25 | £15 profit |
| 4th on standard terms, or worse | Loses | Loses | £0 | £10 loss |
Check any price in the each way calculator.
Exactas, Trifectas and Superfectas
With 20 runners, the Derby’s exotic pools are among the biggest of the American year. The exacta is first and second in order (a straight forecast), the trifecta is the first three in order (a tricast) and the superfecta is the first four. Boxing horses multiplies the cost fast: a trifecta box with five horses is 60 combinations. Our guide to how to bet a trifecta explains boxes and keys, and the forecast calculator counts the combinations for you.
Ante-Post Bets and Late Withdrawals
A horse can drop out at any point on the road, and even in Derby week, which is why the four also-eligibles are named behind the top 20. An ante-post bet on a horse that doesn’t run is a losing bet unless your bookmaker offers non-runner no bet; our guide to ante-post betting explains the trade-off.
The Kentucky Derby is a 20-runner race run late at night UK time. Set your budget in advance, bet only what you can afford to lose and never chase losses. Gambling responsibly.
Update Log
- 9 October 2026: Page published. The 2027 date (Saturday 1 May) and the Oaks date (Friday 30 April) from the official Kentucky Derby ticket page; 2026 post time and purse from NBC Sports’ race guide; points system and European Road from the Road to the Kentucky Derby record; Triple Crown details and 2027 schedule from the Triple Crown record.
- Next update: when Churchill Downs confirms the 2027 post time, and after the post-position draw in Derby week.
Frequently asked questions
The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, all for three-year-olds and run within about five weeks in May and June. Only 13 horses have won all three, from Sir Barton in 1919 to Justify in 2018.
Saturday 1 May 2027 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. It is always the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Oaks, the fillies' race, is the day before, on Friday 30 April 2027, according to the official ticket page.
Just before midnight. In 2026 the post time was 6:57pm Eastern, which is 11:57pm in the UK, because Kentucky is five hours behind BST in May. The 2027 time is usually confirmed in the spring, and loading can delay the start by a few minutes.
There is no official answer, but Secretariat, the 1973 winner, is the usual pick: his Kentucky Derby time of 1:59.40 is still the race record more than fifty years later. Seattle Slew, Affirmed, American Pharoah and Justify are the other Triple Crown winners since 1970.
Yes. The Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby includes races in Britain and Ireland, such as the Royal Lodge, and its leading horse is offered a place in the starting gate. Few take it up, because the race is on dirt and clashes with the British Classics in May.