How Much Money Will the 2025 Kentucky Derby Winner Make? What to Know About the Horse Race’s Multimillion-Dollar Purse

The 2025 Kentucky Derby is here, and there’s a lot of money waiting at the finish line.

On May 3, 19 horses and their jockeys will compete in a 1.25-mile race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The first five across the Kentucky Derby finish line will split a whopping $5 million purse — the highest payout across the Triple Crown races, which include the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

Favored to win the 2025 Derby is a horse named Journalism, who has 3–1 odds. He’s co-owned by Aron Wellman and will be ridden by two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey, Umberto Rispoli.

“Nothing compares to the Kentucky Derby,” Wellman told The Press-Enterprise in April 2025. “To have a high-profile horse like Journalism, you try to find a balance between enjoying this very unique position that we’re in and having fun with it because we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.”

So, how much money will owners and jockeys win from the 2025 Kentucky Derby? Here’s everything to know about the 2025 Kentucky Derby purse.

How much will the winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby make?

The 151st Kentucky Derby purse is worth $5 million — and the winner will take home $3.1 million, according to the race. Sizable payouts will also be awarded to the second through fifth-place finishers.

How much will the jockey get for winning the 2025 Kentucky Derby?

Typically, jockeys are hired on a race-to-race basis. Owners pay their jockey a set amount up front, and then they earn 5-10% of the prize money for races they win, according to USA Today.

In 2024, winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. earned 10% of the first-place prize, taking home $310,000. A year prior, the purse was a guaranteed $3 million, so jockey Javier Castellano, who won with horse Mage, took home $186,000.

Additionally, the horse’s trainer also receives a 10% cut of the prize money. Following the 2024 Kentucky Derby, Mystik Dan’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, was paid $310,000.

What do the other Kentucky Derby participants make?

Last year, the second-place finisher at the 2025 Kentucky Derby took home $1 million. Third place was awarded $500,000, while fourth and fifth place earned $250,000 and $150,000, respectively.

How much have Kentucky Derby winners won in years past?

The Kentucky Derby purse reached an all-time high of $5 million in 2024. Mystik Dan’s team walked away with $3.1 million, as will the winner of the 2025 Derby.

1996 marked the first year the purse reached $1 million. It hovered at that amount until 2005, when it increased to $2 million. From 2019 to 2023, the guaranteed payout was $3 million.

“These record purse increases are a symbol of the health of horse racing in Kentucky,” Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Incorporated, said in a 2024 statement.

Which horse race has the highest payout?

The richest horse races in the world are the Saudi Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and The Everest in Sydney, Australia. Each offers a $20 million purse.

However, the Kentucky Derby has the biggest payout among the Triple Crown races. Purses at May 17’s Preakness Stakes and June 8’s Belmont Stakes are set at $2 million.

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