This year’s Kentucky Derby was the most-watched in decades.
Roughly 17.7 million people tuned in to watch Sovereignty win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs, NBC announced on Sunday. That’s up about 6% from last year’s race, which made it the most-watched Kentucky Derby since 1989.
Viewership peaked at about 21.8 million for the final race, too. That’s up about 8% from last year's peak, which also set a new Kentucky Derby record for the network.
Sovereignty surged ahead down the stretch on a muddy track in Kentucky on Saturday to narrowly beat Journalism — who was the betting favorite entering the race — and claim the 151st Kentucky Derby.