Kentucky Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

NBC’s Kentucky Derby Coverage Draws More Viewers Than All Awards Shows

NBC Sports' presentation of the 147th Kentucky Derby averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 14.5 million viewers as the “Run for the Roses” returned to its traditional first Saturday in May date – marking a 54 percent increase from last year's event (9.4 million on Sept. 5), according to official national data provided by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Viewership peaked at 15.7 million viewers from 6:45-7 p.m. ET on NBC as Medina Spirit mounted a wire-to-wire victory and trainer Bob Baffert won the event for a record seventh time.

NBC Sports Digital's presentation of the Kentucky Derby delivered a record Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 139,300 viewers for the event via the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com.

The NBC-TV household rating for the broadcast (6:31-7:18 p.m. ET) was a 7.1/22.

146TH PREAKNESS STAKES ON NBC SPORTS, MAY 15: In two weeks, Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit attempts the next step in his Triple Crown quest. NBC Sports' coverage of The 146th Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md., begins Friday, May 14 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC presents The Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 15 at 5 p.m. ET, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

PREAKNESS STAKES COVERAGE
Date Time Event Network
Fri., May 14 5 p.m. Black-Eyed Susan Stakes NBCSN
Sat., May 15 2 p.m. Preakness Saturday NBCSN
Sat., May 15 5 p.m. Preakness Stakes NBC

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR 2021 KENTUCKY DERBY (Race Portion)

1. Louisville 28.7/59
2. Ft. Myers 18.2/36
3. Knoxville 16.2/30
4. West Palm Beach 15.5/35
5. Cincinnati 15.1/36
6. Cleveland 14.9/35
7. Detroit 14.0/32
8. Providence 13.3/31
T9. Indianapolis 13.1/32
T9. Buffalo 13.1/29

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Medina Spirit Rises To No. 1 On NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll; Malathaat Jumps To Fifth

Following his stirring half-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1 147th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit, has risen to No. 1 in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll.

Sent away at 12-1, Medina Spirit, a Florida-bred son of Protonico, gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh Kentucky Derby win and a fourth Derby victory for Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Medina Spirit, seventh in last week's poll, received 34 first-place votes and 374 points to take over the top spot from Godolphin's 2020 2-year-old champion Essential Quality, who finished fourth as the 5-2 Derby favorite. Trained by Brad Cox, the previously unbeaten Essential Quality, who led the Top 3-Year Old Poll since the first week on Feb. 16, is now in second place, with two first-place votes and 315 points.

The Cox-trained Mandaloun, who finished second in the Derby by a half-length, moves from 12th to third place this week. Owned by Juddmonte, Mandaloun has 284 points. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Derby, drops back one position to fourth place with 266 points for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Shadwell Stable's bay filly, Malathaat, zooms from 20th to fifth place following her dramatic win by a neck over Search Results in the Grade 1 147th Longines Kentucky Oaks last Friday. The undefeated Malathaat, trained by Todd Pletcher, has one first-place vote and 179 points.

Gary and Mary West's homebred Concert Tour, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, rises from eighth to sixth place in the poll. Also trained by Baffert, Concert Tour has 95 points. A third Baffert-trained runner in the top 10 is WinStar Farm and CHC's Life is Good, who improved from ninth to seventh place. Off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, Life is Good has one first-place vote and 94 points.

Another major mover this week was Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who captured Saturday's Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior goes from 31st to eighth place, garnering 82 points. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, drops from second to 9th place this week after a 17th-place finish in the Derby while being compromised at the start. Trained by John Sadler, Rock Your World has 69 points. Maintaining 10th place is another Asmussen-trained colt, Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who finished sixth in the Derby and has 65 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide, Group 1 Saudi Cup runner-up Charlatan, and reigning older dirt female champion Monomoy Girl again hold down the top three positions in this week's National Thoroughbred Poll. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 31 first-place votes and 350 points. The Baffert-trained 4-year-old Charlatan has six first-place votes and 322 points. The 6-year-old mare Monomoy Girl, trained by Cox, is in third place with 229 points.

Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (199 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in Saturday's Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, is now in fourth place, exchanging positions with Korea Racing Authority's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go (184 points).

Michael Lund Peterson's Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Gamine (161 points), rises from seventh to sixth place after winning Saturday's Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery at Churchill Downs. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (141 points), who defeated Monomoy Girl in Oaklawn's Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 17, is now in seventh place.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield re-enters the top 10, moving from 12th to eighth place with one first-place vote and 133 points after taking last Friday's Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes presented by Sentient Jet at Churchill Downs. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (84 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes presented by TwinSpires, jumps from 14th to ninth place. Competing the Top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (55 points), who climbs to 10th from 56th place in last week's poll off the dead heat with Colonel Liam.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

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NBC Draws 14.5M Viewers for Kentucky Derby

NBC Sports' presentation of the 147th Kentucky Derby averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 14.5 million viewers as the “Run for the Roses” returned to its traditional first Saturday in May date. It represented a 54% increase from last year's event (9.4 million Sept. 5), according to official national data provided by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Viewership peaked at 15.7 million viewers from 6:45-7 p.m. ET on NBC as Medina Spirit gave Bob Baffert his record seventh victory.

The TV-only average audience of 14.4 million viewers topped all entertainment awards shows for the first time ever and marked NBC's most watched broadcast since the NFL Divisional Playoffs in January. NBC Sports Digital's presentation of the Kentucky Derby delivered a record Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 139,300 viewers for the event via the NBC Sports app and www.NBCSports.com.

The NBC-TV household rating for the broadcast (6:31-7:18 p.m. ET) was a 7.1/22.

NBC Sports' coverage of the 146th Preakness S. from Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md., begins Friday, May 14 at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC presents the Preakness Saturday, May 15 at 5 p.m. ET, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The post NBC Draws 14.5M Viewers for Kentucky Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Despite Losing Bet, McInvgale, Racing Come Out Winners

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale made what is believed to be the largest losing wager in horse racing history Saturday, as a $2.4-million win bet on Essential Quality (Tapit) went down in flames as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby finished fourth. But, for McIngvale, there were no wounds to be licked.

The bet was tied into a promotion at his Gallery Furniture Stores in Houston. Anyone buying a mattress worth $3,000 or more prior to the Derby would get the mattress for free if the betting favorite won the Derby. The promotion was so successful that McIngvale sold about 2,000 mattresses, making their combined value $6 million. McIngvale said the markup on the mattresses was 100%, meaning he would have been out of pocket about $3 million on the mattresses if the horse had won.

Once McIngvale started to do the math, he realized he could create what amounted to a no-lose situation.

With Essential Quality going off at 2.90-1, McIngvale's $2.4-million bet would have turned into a profit of $6,960,000 had he won. That would have been enough to cover the costs associated with giving away so many mattresses for free. The defeat meant that McIngvale was out $2.4 million, but that is less than the near $3 million he made by selling so many mattresses.

“I'm very glad I did it,” McIngvale said Monday. “It made the store really busy for two weeks. Not only did they buy mattresses, they bought a lot of other things. In this crazy age of Amazon retailing, if we don't do something that sets us apart we're going to be put out of business by the Amazon people or by people that sell these inexpensive mattresses in a box. The promotion was great for bringing people out. It was fun. It's too bad Essential Quality didn't win but it was an exciting race and I hear the ratings were good. It was something that gave horse racing a shot in the arm.”

McIngvale has run similar promotions that tied into bets he made on the World Series, the Super Bowl and the NCAA tournament. He made a successful $3.46-million bet on the Tampa By Buccaneers to cover the spread in this year's Super Bowl.

“I was really amazed to find that out that we sold as many mattresses for this as we did for the Super Bowl,” he said.

McIngvale made all $2.4 million of his bets on track at Churchill Downs rather than through an ADW or in Las Vegas. The cut for purses for on-track bets is 10%, which adds up to $240,000 infusion into the purse account. The cut from an ADW bet is just 5%, and had someone in Las Vegas booked his bet, the horsemen would have gotten no money.

“The people in Kentucky were very happy that I bet all this money on track,” he said. “I could have gone to Las Vegas and bet the money with someone out there or bet it offshore. If I did that, the track would have gotten nothing. I wanted to support the ecosystem of horse racing so I made the bet at Churchill Downs. That way we maximized the amount of money that horsemen got, that the ecosystem got. It's crazy that some people in the horse racing business bet with a bookie or go offshore to a place like Costa Rica. They're not supporting racing.”

Prepared to bet more than the $2.4 million, McIngvale had $4 million wired to Churchill Downs before his arrival. He made his bets over time and in increments, starting with a $500,000 wager on Friday.

“We wanted to seed the money into the pool where it wasn't such a shock to the system,” he said. “I didn't want to bet it all early and I didn't want to bet it all late. I wanted to give the betting public a chance to react to my bet.”

With the money having been wired to Churchill before the race, McIngvale wasn't required to make his wagers through a mutuel clerk. He did, however, make a $100,000 win bet at the windows that was staged for the benefit of the NBC cameras.

McIngvale said he will consider bringing the promotion back for future runnings of the Derby.

“The difference between this bet and the sports bets is the best you're going to do on a sports or football bet is +140 or +150,” he said. “With this, I got +280 on the favorite. That's a pretty good deal. The problem is that not too many horse races can handle a bet that big.”

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