"Another" Scratches: Saturday Ratings Will Plunge

With the announced scratching of the winner of the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness a few moments ago, estimate viewership of what is now just a horse race this Saturday were revised on client inventories this morning.

Boy, the NBC Cable folks sold this out the wazzoo...  let's see how they like last minute changes THEY don't know about.

Update:  Here's how NBC spun it.

Here's part of the New York Times' coverage of this event.  

I’ll Have Another’s scratch is one of the most momentous in racing history. Only two horses who won the Derby and Preakness — Burgoo King in 1932 and Bold Venture in 1936 — did not contest the Belmont, and that was well before the Triple Crown had achieved mainstream prominence.

And an update from the better of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas.