• June 9, 2003

It wasn't Funny Cide's best day at the Belmont Stakes, but NBC found an upside with the highest overnight ratings since 1987 for the third leg of racing's Triple Crown. The coverage between 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday, delivered a 10.4/24, 13% higher than last year's 9.2/21 for a Triple Crown try by another horse. NBC said it was the highest overnight rating for any horse race since 1990, when ABC delivered an 11.3/29 for that year's Kentucky Derby. ABC's telecast of the 1987 Belmont Stakes delivered a 9.2/25, although figures beyond 1987 weren't immediately available. "This rating demonstrates that the unbelievable saga of Funny Cide brought all kinds of new fans to horse racing, which bodes well for the future," said Ken Schanzer, president of NBC Sports.