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Big Brown was a big disappointment, but the Belmont Stakes delivered an impressive TV rating for ABC Saturday, demonstrating that while horse racing has declined in popularity, it can still draw an audience when one horse stands out from the crowd.
ESPN announced today that the Belmont had a 10.5 overnight metered market rating, which is up a whopping 169% from last year's race, which drew a 3.9. The Belmont also beat this year's Kentucky Derby rating (9.5) by 11% and this year's Preakness rating (6.4) by 64%. Even yesterday's often boring pre-race got a 4.5 rating, which tops last year's 1.8 by 150%.
How good is that 10.5 rating? On the one hand, the much-hyped Lakers-Celtics Game 1 on Thursday got a 10.4 overnight, so beating the NBA has to be considered a good sign for the Belmont. On the other hand, the last time there was a chance of a Triple Crown winner, in 2004, the Belmont got a 13.4. So it was an impressive showing, but not as stunning as Big Brown coming in last.
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