Roses or thorns? Tracking Kentucky Derby TV ratings, attendance and betting figures.
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Does the Derby still matter?
Lexington Herald-Leader columnists John Clay and Linda Blackford argue the significance of our state’s most recognized sporting event in today’s rapidly changing cultural landscape.
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Does the Kentucky Derby, the biggest, most recognizable Thoroughbred horse race in the world still matter?
The numbers from the audience at the track, wagering on the race and watching on TV can help answer that question.
Since 2006, the Run for the Roses has broken all-time records for attendance, on-track handle, all-sources handle and scored its highest TV ratings since 1989.
In fact, before the COVID pandemic hit, the greatest two minutes in sports, traditionally run on the first Saturday in May at Louisville’s Churchill Downs, averaged at least 15 million viewers a year nine times over an 11-year span.
The Derby averages more viewers than the NFL Draft and, as the chart below shows, it has maintained a steady level of television share while other comparable national sporting events have had more erratic results.
Despite the COVID pandemic limiting attendance in 2020 and 2021, the top four all-time attended Derbys have taken place in the past 10 years.
Betting on the Kentucky Derby, particularity all-sources handle fueled by online wagering, has risen greatly over the past 20 years.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 10:22 AM.
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