What Is the Payout for the Kentucky Derby Winner?
The 152nd annual Kentucky Derby is set to go from Louisville on May 2, 2026. Horse racing's biggest event remains an international phenomenon that draws even non-racing fans' eyeballs to the track for at least two minutes a year. The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports.
And while horse racing isn't a mainstream American sport the way it was in the middle of the 20th century, it's not exactly becoming widely less popular. In fact, race organizers upped the total take-home purse for the event back in 2024 to a record $5 million, a 66% increase from 2023.
How Much Money Does the Winner of the Kentucky Derby Receive?
The 2025 winner, Sovereignty, and his team won $3.1 million from that purse, while second-place finisher, Journalism, won $1 million for his team. Third-place finisher Baeza won $500,000. The purse and prizes for win, place, and show are expected to be the same this year.
From 2019 to 2023, Baeza's winnings would have almost equaled the second-place take-home. In that span, the purse was $3 million, with the winner getting $1.86 million, second-place $600,000, and third-place $300,000.
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The total purse for the race hit $1 million in 1996 and remained there until 2005 when it went up to $2 million. And from 1991 to 1995, the purse came in at around $500,000.
The 2025 Kentucky Derby drew 17.7 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, maxing out at 21.8 million at the time of the race itself. The 17.7 total is the largest since 1989, a year well before streaming and even the proliferation of cable television.
The 2026 race is expected to start at 6:57 p.m. ET, again on NBC and Peacock.
Related: 2025 Year in Review: Horse Racing
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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 1:31 PM.