Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Sets Record for NBC
Saturday’s live coverage of the 151st Kentucky Derby on NBC drew its largest audience since 1989, with an average of 17.7 million viewers tuning in. The race peaked at 21.8 million viewers, setting a new record for the network.
Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, saw the highest traffic of all partnered streamers for the race. The 151st Derby also marked the largest streaming audience ever for a horse racing event on NBC Sports, with an Average Minute Audience of 959,000 viewers. Over the past 12 Derbys, NBC Sports has consistently drawn an average of more than 15 million viewers across all platforms.
Sovereignty Wins the 151st Kentucky Derby
Sovereignty emerged victorious at the 151st Kentucky Derby, ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado. The horse took home a prize of $3.1 million, marking Alvarado’s first career win at the prestigious event.
Other top finishers in the race included Journalism, Baeza, and Final Gambit, with a total of 19 horses competing in the event.
Pre-Race Favorites and Prize Distribution
Heading into the Derby, Journalism was the favorite to win at 7/2 odds, followed by Sandman and Luxor Cafe. Sovereignty had the fourth-best odds at 9-1, while American Promise rounded out the top five with 11-1 odds.
Alongside Sovereignty, other horses that competed in the 151st Kentucky Derby included Citizen Bull, Neoquos, American Promise, Admire Daytona, and more.
The total prize pool for the Derby was $5 million, distributed among the top five finishers. The second-place horse received $1 million, third place earned $500,000, fourth took home $250,000, and fifth received $150,000. Jockey Alvarado received a 10% cut of the first-place winnings, amounting to $310,000.
