Without the possibility of a Triple Crown winner, overnight ratings for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes were far lower than were anticipated.
The race portion of The Belmont Stakes drew a 5.4 overnight rating on NBC Saturday evening, up 13% from last year (4.8), and up 74% from 2010 (3.1).
Excluding years when the Triple Crown was at stake, the 5.4 overnight is the highest for The Belmont Stakes since 2005 (6.0).
Though the numbers were solid considering the circumstances, the late scratch of Triple Crown hopeful I’ll Have Another deflated high ratings hopes. The last time there was the possibility of a Triple Crown winner (2008), The Belmont Stakes drew a 10.5 overnight.
Ft. Myers (FL) led all markets with an 11.2 rating. West Palm Beach (10.8), New York (9.6), Baltimore (8.3) and Orlando (7.8) rounded out the top five.
(Saturday’s overnight from NBC Sports Group press release)
