THERE is a full card of graded races at Churchill Downs leading up to the Kentucky Derby at midnight.

Action begins at 5.04pm with the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff Stakes over seven furlongs for older mares on dirt.

Chad Brown’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive is the odds-on favourite to win eight in a row with Wicked Halo and Matareya the dangers. She comes off a Grade 1 win at Keeneland and looks set for another win.

The Grade 2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes, also for females and over a mile, comes next. Graham Motion’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks winner Spendarella, also a good second in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, heads the field. She has a long absence since last August to overcome but should get the better of last year’s winner, Chad Brown’s daughter of Wootton Bassett, Speak Of The Devil.

At 6:56pm the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes over five and a half furlongs contains the now Wesley Ward/Amo Racing owned Irish-bred Go Bears Go in its 14-runner field. The Christophe Clement-trained Big Invasion heads the market.

There is a big field again for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile Stakes with 14 three-year-olds over the dirt mile. Steve Asmussen’s Echo Again is favourite over west coast challenger, Tim Yakteen’s Fort Bragg and Shug McGaughey’s General Jim.

The Grade 2 American Turf Stakes is a turf contest for three-year-olds and Todd Pletcher supplies the betting one-two in Major Dude and Far Bridge, ahead of a Chad Brown’s Irish-bred son of Lope De Vega in Carl Spackler.

At 9:31pm the Grade 1 seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes has a strong field with the reappearance of last year’s big emotional story in the Breeders’ Cup winner Cody’s Wish, winner of his last four. One-time classic candidate White Abarrio and Endorsed are the dangers.

The race before the Derby is the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes over nine furlongs. Irish-bred Hong Kong Harry met defeat, after two graded wins, in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes and needs to fend off Godolphin’s Santin - winner of this and the Arlington Million Stakes last year.

Charlie Appleby also has a runner in the US tonight at Belmont when Ottoman Fleet lines up in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy.

Sky Sports and Racing TV are showing the full evening’s racing.

Coverage will be on RTV Extra so you can watch on TV too (providing you have a Smart TV with the RTV app, Firestick, Apple TV etc).