On Saturday, May 5th, Churchill Downs will run the 2012 Kentucky Derby, the 138th renewal of the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports". The Derby is the longest consecutive running sporting event in the United States, run every year since Aristides won the first Derby in 1875.
The post position draw for the 2012 Derby will occur on Wednesday, May 2nd; the NBC SportsNetwork will have live coverage from Churchill Downs beginning at 5:00pm Eastern. The 2012 Kentucky Oaks, also known as the "Lillis for the Fillies" will run on Friday, May 4th, with coverage beginning at 5:00pm Eastern. Undercard races on both Friday and Saturday can be viewed on Horse Racing TV ("HRTV"), which is available on Dish Network and an assortment of cable systems, as well as NBCSN.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Oaks.
| Date | Time* | TV | Event |
| 2-May | 4:00pm | NBCSN | Kentucky Derby Classics |
| 5:00pm | NBCSN | 2012 Kentucky Derby Post Position Draw | |
| 3-May | 4:00pm | NBCSN | Kentucky Derby Classics |
| 5:00pm | NBCSN | Kentucky Derby Access | |
| 4-May | 9:30am | HRTV | Kentucky Oaks Day Coverage |
| 4:00pm | NBCSN | Kentucky Derby Classics | |
| 5:00pm | NBCSN | 2012 Kentucky Oaks | |
| 5-May | 9:30am | HRTV | Kentucky Derby Undercard |
| 11:00am | NBCSN | Kentucky Derby Undercard | |
| 4:00pm | NBC | Access at the Kentucky Derby/Red Carpet Special | |
| 5:00pm | NBC | 2012 Kentucky Derby | |
| All times Eastern | |||