The total Derby purse is $2 million.
The 144th Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Post time is scheduled for 6:34 p.m. ET, but the two-minute long race isn’t set to start until 6:46 p.m. ET.
Tonight’s favorite, Justify, is racing out of post position seven, and is looking to become the sixth consecutive favorite to bring home the roses. In all, 20 horses will race to win the first leg of the Triple Crown, but there’s also prize money on the line.
A total of $2 million is up for grabs and will be divided among the top five finishers. The winning horse’s owner takes home 62 percent of the purse, or $1.24 million. And the winning jockey gets 10 percent of that, or $124,000.
That number will get shaved down to about $100,000 after paying his agent and valet, the person who gets the jockey’s gear in place. And that’s before taxes.
Still, it’s a nice payday for all of two minutes of work.
The second and third place jockeys get 5 percent of their owner’s take ($400,000 and $200,000), meaning the second place jockey will get a check for $20,000 and the third place jockey will get one for $10,000. After fees, they’ll take home closer to $14,000 and $7,000.
As for the 17 other jockeys, they won’t make out nearly as favorably. Their ride is only worth “a couple hundred dollars apiece,” jockey agent Ron Anderson told CNBC in 2010.
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