Horse Racing
Kentucky Derby 2025 Purse & Payouts: Winner To Earn $3.1M at Churchill Downs
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Get to know Dan Girolamo betterPublished01 May 2025
The race for the Triple Crown begins at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. As one of the most prestigious races, the derby has one of the biggest purses in the sport. Find out the purse and payouts for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby 2025 Purse
Post Positions for the 151st Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. pic.twitter.com/CGyJn9rmy2
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 26, 2025
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most lucrative races in horse racing.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby features a $5 million purse for the second consecutive year.
Two years ago, the derby’s purse was $3 million. However, Churchill Downs’ backing added $2 million to the purse.
The purse has slowly increased over time. 1996 was the first year that the purse reached $1 million. That increased to $2 million in 2005.
The purse is expected to remain at $5 million for the foreseeable future. However, the purse will increase due to the influx of money in the sport.
Kentucky Derby 2025 Payouts
We still think about this one daily. https://t.co/97Z81tVWws
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 1, 2025
With a $5 million purse, how much will go to the winner?
The Kentucky Derby winner will be awarded $3.1 million. The typical split for the winning horse is 80% to the owner, 10% to the trainer, and 10% to the jockey.
Second place will still take home a six-figure payday at $1 million.
Third place earns $500,000.
The top five payouts:
- First: $3.1 million
- Second: $1 million
- Third: $500,000
- Fourth: $250,000
- Fifth: $150,000
2025 Kentucky Derby Field: Horses, Trainers, Jockeys, Odds
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citizen Bull | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia | 16-1 |
| 2 | Neoequos | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Luis Saez | 53-1 |
| 3 | Final Gambit | Brad Cox | Luan Machado | 16-1 |
| 5 | American Promise | D. Wayne Lukas | Nik Juarez | 12-1 |
| 6 | Admire Daytona | Yukihiro Kato | Christophe Lemaire | 36-1 |
| 7 | Luxor Café | Noriyuki Hori | Joao Moreira | 13-1 |
| 8 | Journalism | Michael McCarthy | Umberto Rispoli | 7/2 |
| 9 | Burnham Square | Ian Wilkes | Brian Hernandez Jr. | 17-1 |
| 10 | Grande | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 18-1 |
| 11 | Flying Mohawk | Whit Beckman | Joe Ramos | 34-1 |
| 12 | East Avenue | Brendan Walsh | Manny Franco | 30-1 |
| 13 | Publisher | Steve Asmussen | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 27-1 |
| 14 | Tiztastic | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 18-1 |
| 15 | Render Judgment | Kenny McPeek | Julien Leparoux | 12-1 |
| 16 | Coal Battle | Lonnie Briley | Juan Vargas | 27-1 |
| 17 | Sandman | Mark Casse | Jose Ortiz | 5-1 |
| 18 | Sovereignty | Bill Mott | Junior Alvarado | 10-1 |
| 19 | Chunk of Gold | Ethan West | Jareth Loveberry | 30-1 |
| 20 | Owen Almighty | Brian Lynch | Javier Castellano | 41-1 |
| 21 | Baeza | John A Shirreffs | Flavien Pratt | 42-1 |
