The biggest Horse racing event in the world, Kentucky Derby 2024 is scheduled for 1st May 2024. Often termed as ‘Run for Roses’ and the ‘Most exciting 2 minutes of Sports’ in America, Kentucky Derby certainly has the best breeds of a horse running for the championship. With a substantial increment in the purse, the winner to pocket $1.86 million from the total Kentucky Derby 2024 prize money.
Kentucky Derby is the top graded horse racing event that takes place annually in Louisville, Kentucky, The 2 week event which inaugurated in 1875 traditionally takes place on the first Saturday of May, However, due to COVID 19, for the first time in history, the tournament was shifted from its original schedule.
Kentucky Derby is a Thoroughbreds racing event, for those who aren’t familiar with what is Thoroughbreds, it basically means hot-blooded horses who are agile, and fast to compete for racing. Thus the event sees the biggest and best breeds of horses with one criterion that they should be 3 years old.
Horse racing is one of the elite sports of the world and betting makes it more cash studed, but do you know what is the prize money for Kentucky Derby? Which is the highest-paid horse?
Kentucky Derby 2024 Prize Money
Kentucky Derby is the highest-paid Horsing event in the world. The total prize money for the 2-minute race is a whopping $3 million Dollars.
| Standings | Purse Money | Jockey Share |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | $1.86 million | $186,000 |
| Runner – up | $600,000 | $30,000 |
| 3rd Place | $300,000 | $15,000 |
| 4th Place | $150,000 | $4,500 |
| 5th Place | $90,000 | $2,500 |
One thing that is really appreciable of horse racing events is the care for the horses. Yes, Kentucky Derby is no different. According to tvg, the horse gets more money than the jockey (a person riding the horse). Even the winner is not labeled as the jockey. Instead, it’s the horses who are labeled as the winner of the race.
The purse money of $3 million dollar goes to the owner of the horses and the trainer of the horses.
This year’s Derby saw Authentic winning its first derby and also a history in making as Bob Baffert won the derby as a trainer for a record 6th time. The list of winners and prize money is as follows.
| Finish | Program Number | Horse | Trainer | Prize Money | Jockey | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Authentic | Bob Baffert | $1.86 million | John Velazquez | $186,000 |
| 2 | 7 | Tiz The Law | Barclay Tagg | $600,000 | Manuel Franco | $30,000 |
| 3 | 9 | Mr. Big News | W. Bret Calhoun | $300,000 | Gabirel Saez | $15,000 |
| 4 | 16 | Honor A.P. | John Shirreffs | $150,000 | Mike E. Smith | $4,500 |
| 5 | 2 | Max Player | Steve Asmussen | $90,000 | Ricardo Santana Jr. | $2,500 |
Thus the results made Authentic the highest-paid horse in the world and Bob Baffert the highest-paid Trainer
American Triple Crown
There are many grade 1 level thoroughbred horse racing events in America. But the 3 main tournaments are Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
The 3 tournaments are held at an interval of 2 weeks each and they make up the American Triple crown. The horse to win all three competitions is crowned with this honour.
The prize money of these tournaments are as follows.
| Event | Prize Money | Commencement |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Derby | $3 million | 1st Saturday of May |
| Preakness Stakes | $1.5 million | 3rd Saturday of May |
| Belmont Stakes | $1 million | 1st Saturday of June |
The 147th season of the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for Saturday, 1 May 2024 at Churchill Downs in Louisville.