More than 147,000 fans braved rain and cooler temperatures at Churchill Downs for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby, where Sovereignty surged ahead in the final stretch to win by a length and a half. The Into Mischief-sired colt, bred and owned by Godolphin, LLC, and trained by William “Bill” Mott, was ridden to victory by jockey Junior Alvarado. Crossing the finish line in 2:02.31 on a sloppy track, Sovereignty secured the win at 7-1 odds and lifted his career earnings to $3.7 million.

Betting activity hits historic highs:

This year’s Kentucky Derby broke multiple betting records. The total handle from all sources for Derby Day reached an unprecedented $349.0 million, surpassing the previous year’s $320.5 million benchmark. Wagering on the main event alone amounted to $234.4 million, outdoing the 2024 race’s $210.7 million. Over the full Derby Week, all-sources handle climbed to $473.9 million, breaking the prior high of $446.6 million.

TwinSpires, the official online betting partner of the Derby, also hit new highs. The platform reported $108.0 million in wagers for the Derby Day program, topping the 2024 figure of $92.1 million. Specifically for the Kentucky Derby race, TwinSpires processed $73.0 million in bets, outstripping last year’s $60.9 million. These totals include both future wagers and affiliate betting activity.

Despite slightly lower expectations for Derby Week earnings compared to the 150th milestone edition last year, Churchill Downs Inc. still anticipates adjusted EBITDA to rank among its top two results historically. The company noted that this year’s performance will likely fall short by $2 to $4 million compared to 2024’s event.

Record viewership for NBC and Peacock:

NBC Sports also marked a major milestone with its 25th presentation of the Kentucky Derby, drawing an average of 17.7 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. This represents the largest Derby audience since 1989 when Sunday Silence claimed victory in front of 18.5 million viewers. Compared to last year, when 16.7 million tuned in for Mystik Dan’s photo-finish win, this year’s viewership was up 6%.

The audience peaked between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. ET, reaching 21.8 million viewers—an all-time high for NBC Sports’ Derby coverage, and an 8% jump over last year’s peak of 20.1 million.

As reported by Bloodhorse, streaming numbers also saw notable growth. Peacock led the way with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 959,000 viewers, up 34% from last year and nearly triple the 2023 figure. The Derby’s strong digital performance contributed to making it NBC’s most-watched Saturday broadcast since the NFL Wild Card Playoffs in January 2024, not including Olympic coverage.

Following his Kentucky Derby triumph, Sovereignty has received an invitation to compete in the second leg of the Triple Crown—the 150th Preakness Stakes—scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore. NBC Sports will begin its Preakness coverage with the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday, May 16, at 4:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. The main Preakness broadcast will air Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock, with NBC’s primary coverage starting at 4 p.m. ET.

According to Paulick Report, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen praised the race’s outcome, stating, “We congratulate the connections of Sovereignty on an impressive win over a very talented field of horses. We are thrilled with our performance following the 150th milestone year in 2024 and we will grow the Kentucky Derby in the years to come.”