5/28/09
Last updated: 5/27/09 2:54 PM
 |
Rachel Alexandra’s Preakness win highlighted Pimlico’s meet
(Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club) |
The Maryland Jockey Club concluded its spring meeting at Pimlico Race
Course on Saturday, posting average wagering figures which were 8.9
percent higher than comparable dates from 2008. The spring meet featured
just 20 live racing dates, 11 less than a year ago. When comparing the
41 days of the stand (20 live and 21 simulcast) to 2008, the average
daily handle rose from $6.293 million to $6.854 million.
Increased wagering for the May 16 card headlined by Preakness S. (G1)
was the reason for the higher totals. Wagering on the 13-race card
finished at more than $86.6 million, the fifth largest in the 134-year
history of the event, up 18 percent from a year ago. Nearly $60 million
was bet on the Preakness itself as filly RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia
d’Oro) defeated 12 colts and geldings in one of the most anticipated
runnings of the Preakness in decades.
The race drew 10.9-million viewers on NBC Sports, up 38 percent from
2008 when 7.9-million viewers watched Big Brown dominate the middle
jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. The race portion of the 2009 Preakness
registered a national rating of 6.8, with a 16 share, the highest
numbers since the Smarty Jones Preakness five years ago (7.7/19) and the
second-highest since 1990 (7.9/23).
|
“The build up to the Preakness was nothing short of spectacular and the race
lived up to the hype,” said Tom Chuckas, Maryland Jockey Club president and
chief operating officer. “First we had a 50-1 longshot win the Kentucky Derby
(G1), which didn’t scare away any of the major contenders. Then it was the drama
surrounding Rachel Alexandra. First, would she get into the field because her
previous owners had not nominated her to the Triple Crown and then, could she
beat the boys? The storyline generated national coverage from all the networks
which heightened interest in the race.”
