On Saturday, thousands of Lilly Pulitzer and fascinator-clad fans will descend upon Churchill Downs in Louisville for the 152nd Annual Kentucky Derby. This year, 18 Thoroughbred colts and fillies with names like Renegade, Litmus Test and Chief Wallabee will tear through the starting gates for a chance to be draped in the famous Garland of Roses and earn their piece of an incredibly lucrative prize purse.
But how much is that purse, exactly? What might these horses and their owners earn from an appearance in the Winner's Circle, and how has that amount changed over time?
We take a look at it all below:
Kentucky Derby Purse
For the third consecutive year, the purse at the Kentucky Derby will be $5 million. That total amount is then broken down into smaller payouts for the top-five finishers.
| Finish | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $3.1 million |
| 2nd | $1 million |
| 3rd | $500,000 |
| 4th | $250,000 |
| 5th | $150,000 |
How has the Kentucky Derby purse changed over the years?
The first-ever Kentucky Derby in 1875 had a $1,000 purse, plus something called "added money," which originally comprised entry fees, starting fees, etc. that would all go to the winner. A horse named Aristides won that race and received a $2,850 payout; the second-place finisher, Volcano, was awarded $200.
By 1996, things had grown from that initial $1,000 amount to $1 million guaranteed, which is where the purse sat until 2004. Then, from 2005-18, it rose to $2 million guaranteed, before jumping to $3 million from 2019-23. It's been at $5 million guaranteed since 2024.
How is the money allocated between horse and jockey?
A horse's jockey and trainer typically get a percentage—probably about 5-10%—of the horse's winnings. For instance, horse Mystik Dan earned $3.1 million for winning the Derby in 2024. His jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., received $310,000, and the rest of that went to Mystik Dan's owner.
What else does the Derby winner receive?
In addition to the million-dollar payout, the winning horse is draped in the famous Garland of Roses (which also happens to be the reason why the race is nicknamed "The Run for the Roses").
"Each year, a garland of more than 400 red roses is sewn into a green satin backing with the seal of the Commonwealth on one end and the Twin Spires and number of the race's current renewal on the other," the Derby's website explains. "Each garland is also adorned with a 'crown' of roses, green fern and ribbon. The 'crown,' a single rose pointing upward in the center of the garland, symbolizes the struggle and heart necessary to reach the Derby Winner's Circle."
Moreover, the winner gets the iconic, handcrafted gold trophy, which takes about 2,000 hours to complete. Production of the trophy begins months before the Derby.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kentucky Derby Payouts: Full Prize Purse for Winners and Participants in 2026.
