Big Brown was no Smarty Jones — or Funny Cide, for that matter.
Despite the potential of the first Triple Crown winner in thirty years, ABC did not draw blockbuster ratings for The Belmont Stakes. The race portion of ABC’s coverage, from 6:15-7:11 PM, drew a 9.0 rating with 14.6 million viewers, making it the highest rated and most watched sporting event of the weekend, ahead of two NBA Finals games.
However, the race saw declines of 31% in ratings and 33% in total viewers when compared to the 2004 Belmont, the last time there was the possibility of a Triple Crown. That Belmont featured Smarty Jones, a horse with a larger national following than Big Brown, and drew a 13.1 rating with 21.9 million viewers on NBC.
The ratings for this year’s Belmont were down even from the 2003 Belmont, which drew a 10.7 rating with 15.7 million viewers. That year, Funny Cide was going for the Triple Crown.
Ratings for Belmont when horse is going for Triple Crown.
since 1997
9.0, 14.6 mil: 2008, Big Brown (Sat., 6/9/08, 6:15 PM ABC)
13.1, 21.9 mil: 2004, Smarty Jones (Sat., 6/5/04, 6:15 PM NBC)
10.7, 15.6 mil: 2003, Funny Cide (Sat., 6/7/03, 6:15 PM NBC)
8.4, 12.4 mil: 2002, War Emblem (Sat., 6/8/02, 6:15 PM NBC)
6.0, 7.9 mil: 1999, Charismatic (Sat., 6/5/99, ABC)
5.9, 8.0 mil: 1998, Real Quiet (Sat., 6/6/98, ABC)
5.3, 7.1 mil: 1997, Silver Charm (Sat., 6/7/97, ABC)
