The month of May kicks off what could be called the Super Bowl of Horse Racing, with the Run for the Roses at the Kentucky Derby opening up a month-plus celebration of the best in Thoroughbreds that also includes stops at the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
And the pop-culture mashup of the Triple Crown and the NFL’s big game brings up an interesting part of USA TODAY Ad Meter history. A slice of trivia that looks at the equine stars of the Super Bowl’s small screen since 1989.
The question: What horse first appeared in a Super Bowl ad that was part of the ratings?
The answer…
While it’s expected that most people would think of Budweiser and its famous Clydesdales, the iconic King of Beers steeds are not the correct response.
They were a close second, trailing a couple proverbial lengths to more of a silhouetted background player that majestically appeared in Michelob Dry’s 1989 ad.
(Yep, Michelob Dry.)
To borrow America’s hit song title, it was… “A Horse with No Name”:
As for Budweiser?
Much of the ads back then still focused on the Bud Bowl, so the first animal to appear in a commercial that was part of the Ad Meter ratings was… a calf.
More:
How much does a Super Bowl commercial cost? Here’s the average breakdown since 1967
Super Bowl Commercial Rewind: 5 iconic freeze-frames in Ad Meter history
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