Golden Tempo's victory in Kentucky Derby most-viewed on record, averaging 19.6 million

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STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Golden Tempo's victory in Saturday's 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby averaged 19.6 million on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-viewed Run for the Roses on record since Nielsen began tracking average audiences in 1988.

According to preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, the audience peaked at 24.4 million from 7-7:15 p.m. EDT. Post time for the race was 7:03 p.m. Jose Ortiz rallied Golden Tempo from 12th as they approached the stretch to win by a neck over Renegade and make Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

It is the Derby's largest audience since Sunday Silence's 1989 victory averaged 18.5 million on ABC. This year's Derby audience also was an 11% increase over last year. NBC began carrying the race in 2001.

Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events last September with the start of the current television season.

The streaming audience on Peacock was 1.3 million, up 36% from 2025 and nearly doubling 2024 (714,000).

NBC also announced that Friday night's Kentucky Oaks averaged 2.4 million. It was the first time the race was contested in primetime and on network television.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing