Weekend TV Six-Pack: Derby Day! The Run For The Roses & More

Who’s Your Favorite To Win? Considering our short attention spans, horse racing ought to be more popular. It only requires about two minutes of focus. The 144th Kentucky Derby,...

Who’s Your Favorite To Win?

Considering our short attention spans, horse racing ought to be more popular. It only requires about two minutes of focus.

The 144th Kentucky Derby, known as the Run for the Roses, takes place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It is run at 1 ¼ miles and it also nicknamed “the fastest two minutes in sports.” It kicks off the Triple Crown series and is rich in history and spectacle.

Post time is 6:46 p.m. ET for the Derby, on NBC, which starts its coverage at 2:30. Justify is the 7-2 favorite and could be a history-maker. This race is for 3-year-olds and if Justify wins, he’ll be the first to do so without racing as a 2-year-old. Warm up for this on Friday with the Kentucky Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile excursion for 3-year-old fillies. Post time is 6:12 and NBCSN has it. Midnight Bisou is your 9-4 favorite.

There’s an interesting pair of NBA playoff games on Saturday as well. Having won the first two in their series with Toronto on the road, the Cleveland Cavaliers come home to play the Raptors at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Get in the mood by watching the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76ers meeting at 5 p.m. on ESPN. The Celts hold a 2-0 edge.

On the ice, the Western Conference NHL series between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights has been a good one. They’re knotted at two games apiece with Game 5 Friday night at 10:30 p.m. on NBC SN.

Our friends who go round and round are at Dover International Speedway in Delaware on Sunday for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. This installment is the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. FS1 shows this at 2 p.m.

Remember, your weekend starts early with the Kentucky Oaks. Just as the jockeys climb in the saddle, so must you plant your heiner in the recliner. And they’re off!