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Preakness broadcast tops weekend NBC Sports announced on Thursday that its Preakness S. (G1) coverage on May 19 drew a 4.9 national rating, 13 share for the total program, making it the highest rated sporting program of the weekend. The next highest rated show was the NBA playoff game between San Antonio and Utah, which was rated 3.0/7. The race portion of the Preakness broadcast rated 5.7/14, while the pre-race portion rated 3.7/10. The complete Preakness coverage on Saturday drew 7.2 million viewers, 80 percent better than the Subway Series pitting the Yankees and Mets on Fox (4 million viewers) and 60 percent more than the Western Conference finals on ABC Sunday (4.4 million). The Preakness also drew the largest crowd ever to witness a sporting event in the state of Maryland, with a crowd of 121,263 packing historic Pimlico. It was the seventh consecutive year the on-site attendance exceeded 100,000. The record attendance helped the all-sources handle to reach $87,194,161, including $57,360,494 wagered on the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The figure is the fourth highest in Preakness day history, behind only $91 million in 2005, $89.9 million in 2004 and $87.5 million in 2006. "We were very fortunate with the weather and that certainly contributed to the record attendance," said Lou Raffetto, Maryland Jockey Club president and chief operating officer. "We were extremely pleased with the day -- the numbers were close to being the second-best of all-time. It was an outstanding race card and the people around the country recognized that and bet on it accordingly. The Preakness turned out to be one of the greatest races in recent years and we hope the rivalry continues in the months to come."
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