No, the horses can’t make any money on their own, but their owners can make quite a bit of cash depending on how well the horses do in the race.
The betting favorite to win the Kentucky Derby is Forte (+300), followed by Tapit Trice (+500) and Angel of Empire (+800) in close second and third place, respectively.
Find out everything you need to know about the payout for the Kentucky Derby in 2023, including a detailed breakdown of the prize money, in the following article.
Kentucky Derby prize money breakdown for 2023
More than half of the total purse will go to the winner, but the other top-five finishers will still see some of the prize money come their way on Saturday.
Place Prize Money Percentage of purse
1 $1.86 million 60 percent
2 $600,000 20 percent
3 $300,000 10 percent
4 $150,000 5 percent
5 $90,000 3 percent
Kentucky Derby prize money compared to other Triple Crown races
The Kentucky Derby has the largest purse of the Triple Crown races, paying out double the prize money of both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
Race Date Purse (2022 figures)
Kentucky Derby May 6, 2023 $3 million
Preakness Stakes May 20, 2023 $1.5 million
Belmont Stakes June 10, 2023 $1.5 million
