2025 Kentucky Derby Purse: How Much Prize Money the Winning Jockey Will Earn

How much prize money will the jockey of the 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner receive? It’s a hefty six-figure payday.

In 2024, to celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, the purse was increased from $3 million to a record $5 million, tying the Derby as the second-richest horse race in North America behind the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). The purse remains $5 million for the 151st Kentucky Derby in 2025.

The winner’s share of the $5 million purse is split among the winning horse's owner(s), trainer, and jockey. Although the Kentucky Derby takes only two minutes to complete, months of preparation lead up to the first Saturday in May, and the skill of the winning jockey—who must navigate the pace and traffic of a 20-horse field—is well rewarded.

RELATED: Study: Is the average age of Kentucky Derby-winning jockeys rising?

How much prize money will the winning Kentucky Derby jockey earn?

First, let’s share some details on the distribution of the Kentucky Derby purse. Only the first five horses across the finish line earn prize money; in 2025, the distribution is as follows:

1st: $3.1 million
2nd: $1 million
3rd: $500,000
4th: $250,000
5th: $150,000

The conditions of the 2025 Kentucky Derby state that the jockey of every horse who finishes below third place will earn a minimum $500 riding fee. But the riders of the first three finishers have bigger paydays in store.

Of the $3.1 million first-place purse, typically 80% is awarded to the winning owner(s), while the winning trainer and jockey earn 10% apiece. The jockey’s share equates to $310,000.

However, the winning jockey won’t keep the entirety of this six-figure sum. Usually, 25% ($77,500) goes to the jockey’s agent and 5% ($15,500) goes to the valet who helps the jockey prepare their riding gear. This leaves the winning jockey with 7% of the total winning purse, or $217,000 before taxes.

In addition, the winning jockey receives a trophy.

Minus the trophy, a similar arrangement pertains to the jockeys who guide the second- and third-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby. They receive 5% of the purse money earned by their horses: $50,000 to the runner-up jockey and $25,000 to the jockey of the third-place horse. Once again, agents take 25% and valets 5%, reducing those amounts to $35,000 and $17,500 before taxes.

The total purse of the Kentucky Derby has climbed dramatically through the years. The inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875 carried a purse of just $3,050—$2,850 to the winner and $200 to the runner-up.

Join us for our upcoming LIVE blogs!

April 26 | LIVE open discussion with our experts before, during, and after the post position draw at Churchill Downs on opening night.

May 1-3 | LIVE coverage of Thurby, Oaks, and Kentucky Derby Day with exclusive up-to-date all-access trackside coverage. LIVE race odds, including Kentucky Derby odds, picks, entries for all the races, and so much more!

Don't miss a minute of the fun with your backstage pass to everything Kentucky Derby!