Louisville, Kentucky — Di 151st Kentucky Derby dey set to enter history books again as dem go offer record prize money for di winner and top finishers. Dis year, di purse go remain at $5 million, which don prove say di Derby dey get more lucrative every year.
For di past 150 years, di Kentucky Derby don become a spectacle wey dey highlight beautiful hats and di excitement of horse racing. Di prestigious event, held at di iconic Churchill Downs, no just dey about di race; e also dey about di wealth wey come with am. Di record purse from 2023 set di stage for wetin expect dis year.
Di breakdown for di 151st Derby purse go see di winner pocketing a whopping $3.1 million while second place go take $1 million. Third place go win $500,000, fourth place go get $250,000, and di fifth place go run away with $150,000. Dis don make di payouts very enticing for di horses and their connections.
Dis year, jockeys go also earn their cut, as dem typically dey collect 10% of di winning purse. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. don show we wetin e fit earn when him ride di victorious horse, Mystik Dan, to victory last year, collecting $310,000 for him efforts.
Di owner of di winning horse dey expected to take di largest share of di prize, which fit reach around 80%, leaving di trainer to share dia own 10% with di jockey. Dis structure don remain consistent since di Derby’s early days, but di prize money itself don change significantly over di years.
Di Derby first crossed di $1 million mark in 1996, reaching $2 million in 2006. By 2019, di purse hit $3 million, before exploding to a record $5 million for di 150th Derby. To put dis in perspective, di winning horse in 2012, I’ll Have Another, earned $1,459,600, but di winnings for di 2023 Derby don more than double dat amount.
For di upcoming Preakness and Belmont Stakes, each of dem dey set to offer $2 million purses, which still dey below half of di Kentucky Derby purse. Dis year’s Derby promise to keep di excitement alive as spectators eagerly await for di grand event.
As di race dey approach, all eyes go dey on di competitors and wetin dem go achieve with di life-changing winnings available. Fans and bettors alike dey anticipate wetin go happen for di famous race.
With all di razzmatazz and di glitz surrounding di Derby, e clear say dis event don solidify its place not just as a horse race, but as a celebration of tradition, wealth, and di joy of competition.
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