Plenty of TVs tuned into Super Saver's win [Louisville Courier-Journal]
Even the rain couldn't dampen the most exciting two minutes in sports on Saturday afternoon in Louisville. While a record crowd of over 155,000 watched the race in person at Churchill Downs, another near-record crowd watched 9-to-1odds, Super Saver with Calvin Borel aboard, win the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on television. Nielsen reports that overnight ratings indicate that the Kentucky Derby's television viewership was at its highest since 1992.
With LA Dodgers' manager Joe Torre having a horse in the race, I wonder if the Los Angeles ratings were a boost. Overnights measure viewership from among the nation's top television markets, and while final numbers will be made available later this week, the Derby drew a 10.3 overnight rating and 23 share. That means 23 percent of households watching television on Saturday afternoon were watching the Kentucky Derby. In 2008, Nielsen reported a 9.5 rating/21 share for the Derby and in 2009 the Derby earned a 10.2 rating and 22 share.
The last time this many people were watching the Derby on television was in 1992 when Lil E Tee won the race. Torre's horse finished 16th on a track that was, as clear as ever, looking very sloppy and wet on today's high definition TV's.
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