NEW YORK -- Smarty Jones' win in the Kentucky Derby produced
an 8.3 overnight rating, tying the 2001 and 2002 races for the
highest-rated since 1992.
The rating for NBC's broadcast of Saturday's race was up 8
percent from last year's Kentucky Derby, which was won by Funny
Cide and produced a 7.7 rating.
The rating for Saturday's race peaked from 6-6:30 p.m., the half
hour that featured the running of the race. That time slot had an
11.9 rating, up 20 percent from last year's 9.9 for the same
segment.
Smarty Jones became the first undefeated winner of the Kentucky
Derby since Seattle Slew in 1977 and the first winner with a
first-time Derby trainer (John Servis) and jockey (Stewart Elliott)
since Spectacular Bid in 1979.
Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the
United States, covering nearly 70 percent of the country. Each
overnight rating point represents about 735,000 TV homes.