How much does it cost to enter a horse in the KY Derby?
The fees don't stop with the nomination. For the Kentucky Derby it costs $25,000 to enter and another $25,000 to start with a minimum $500 jockey mount fee for starters that finish beyond 3rd place.
The largest number of nominees to the Triple Crown was 460 in 2007 and 2008. Before 1986, the largest number of Kentucky Derby nominees was 432 in 1981; the smallest, 32, in 1913. The early nomination fee has been $600 from the start. The late nomination has been $6,000 since 1994.
Ticket Price: $85
An average of 80,000 onlookers pack the enclosed area, making the infield one of the more raucous parts of Churchill Downs. At a lower price point, the general admission seat is a popular and less pretentious way to take in the Derby.
The Downey Profile reports the entry fee for the 2023 race is $25,000, with an additional $25,000 starting fee. All totaled, 20 horses will compete in this year's race.
How much does it cost to enter the Preakness? Any horse can't be entered into the legendary Triple Crown of races. Certain three-year-olds are nominated, and if they are accepted there is a fee of $15,000 to enter and another $15,000 to start.
Rule of thumb is entry fees are 1%-2% of the purse. Trainer & Jockey Commissions: These are not necessarily fees so much as bonuses taken out of a winning purse. In general, the trainer and jockey receive 10% each of any winning purse and 5% and 5% for 2nd and 3rd place finishes.
Historically, horses who earn at least 40 points tend to make the field for the Kentucky Derby, so simply finishing second in a 100 point race has the potential to securely place a horse into the starting gate.
How much did Kentucky Derby tickets cost in 2022? The Kentucky Derby was just a smidgen cheaper in 2022, ranging from as low as $78 to as high as $9,993 on SeatGeek.
Prize Money
The percentages a jockey receives for a Thoroughbred race range from 5% for a second- or third-place finish to 10% for first place. In less competitive races, the jockey's earnings can be as low as 0.50% for a third-place finish, 1% for placing second and perhaps 6%-10% for first place.
Yes, guests in dining and suite areas are able to visit the food service areas and bar locations for food and beverage service at no additional cost. I usually buy my Mint Julep/Lily/beer from a vendor walking around the seats.
Is the Kentucky Derby invite only?
Tickets to the Kentucky Derby are sold every fall for the following year's event, by invitation only. Access the online sign up form on the Kentucky Derby website to register for an invitation to the official sale. Enter your name, email address, city, state, and zip code.
General admission tickets are the cheapest way to see the Derby and run $87 this year for both Oaks and Derby. But you'll only catch a fraction of a glimmer of a live horse and instead watch the races on that big screen.

Cups must be picked up at Churchill Downs on Derby Day at the $1,000 Mint Julep Experience in the paddock.
Qualification for the Triple Crown
Further entry into each of the three races will cost $15,000, with an additional $15,000 payable if a horse makes the starting field. The Kentucky Derby has a limit of 20 horses, while the final standings in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series help to set the field.
The Preakness and Belmont Stakes have $15,000 entry fees and $15,000 start fees.
General Admission is $5 and may be purchased at the Clubhouse Gate for entry. Tickets can also be purchased in advance via Ticketmaster.com (fees apply). Season passes grant admission to all 40 days of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, including Belmont Stakes Day, at a deeply discounted price.
Purse money
Finishers receive a percentage of the purse, with 60% going to the winner, 20% to the runner-up, 10% to third place, 5% to fourth, 3% to fifth, and 2% to sixth. So, the owner of a winning horse in a race with a $20,000 purse would make $12,000.
Secretariat was estimated to be worth nearly 7 million dollars after his triumph in the 1973 Triple Crown races. Chenery made headlines by successfully syndicating Secretariat for $6.08 million and Riva Ridge for $5 million. During his stud career, 22% of his foals went on to win stakes.
As the builder of Meadow Stud, he left behind hefty estate taxes. His family decided to pay the bill by selling Secretariat to a breeding syndicate that would assume ownership at the end of the horse's racing days. The price tag was a then-record $6.08 million.
To get to the Kentucky Derby, you need to run successfully in prep races. These are competitions specifically designated by the Kentucky Derby to help make horses eligible for the run for the roses, and each prep race has become a huge draw as a result.
Can a horse enter the Kentucky Derby more than once?
The Kentucky Derby is restricted to 3-year-old racehorses, male or female, so a Thoroughbred is eligible for the race only once in their lives. Horses must be nominated to the Triple Crown and then qualify for the Kentucky Derby through a series of races that award points to the top four finishers.
The purse for the 2023 Kentucky Derby was 3 million dollars, the highest purse in Triple Crown racing.
The $1,000 mint juleps are sold in specially crafted cups that feature red rubies in the shape of a horseshoe. Only 148 cups were made. Of them, 18 gold-plated ones cost $2,500 while 130 silver ones cost $1,000.
How much money does the Kentucky Derby winner take home? The first-place winner will get $1.86 million, while the jockey will take home $186,000. The second-place finisher will take home $600,000, with the jockey taking home $30,000.
Seat Location | Available | Price Per Person |
---|---|---|
Section: 113 Row: G 1st Floor Clubhouse Box Seats Food and Drinks(Alcohol) Included | 6 | $1,650.00 |
Section: 113 Row: I 1st Floor Clubhouse Box Seats Food and Drinks(Alcohol) Included | 6 | $1,650.00 |
Jockeys must be at least 16 years old. There is no set height or weight requirement, but the majority of jockeys do not weigh more than 125 pounds, many even less, with height (usually around 5 feet tall) or proportionate to their weight.
Prize-money and sponsorship
This ranges from 8.5 to nine per cent of winning prize-money over jumps, depending on the race. It is 6.9 per cent on the Flat. Under both codes they take home 3.5 per cent of placed prize-money.
John Velazquez is the highest-earning jockey of all time in America, having amassed about $430 million USD in earnings throughout his long career. Born in Puerto Rico in 1971, he moved to New York City in 1990.
Vests, shirts with collars, sweaters, dresses, pantsuits, dress jeans, dress shorts and slacks are appropriate, as are golf shorts and capris. Don'ts: Worn or torn garments, crop or midriff tops, athletic wear, swim wear, frayed or torn denim, and flip-flops are considered inappropriate attire.
The traditional Kentucky Derby mint julep is made from bourbon, mint and sugar syrup and costs about $9. Beer prices are $3-$6.
What is the most famous drink at the Kentucky Derby?
Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack.
Casual Attire is permitted in the Turf Club, Trophy Room, and Millionaires Row, as well as in all other seating areas including the Grand Stand, which means: Jackets optional, blazers. Vests, collared shirts and sweaters.
The tickets are all-inclusive — Oaks and Derby — $2,600.
Food options for general admission ticket holders in the infield include the usual burgers, hot dogs and pizza as well as street tacos, a chicken and waffle sandwich, burrito bowl and lobster rolls. Concession stands will be open from 10 a.m. to the post time of the last race.
Guest Drop-Offs & Ride Sharing Services (Uber, Lyft, Etc.): Please use the designated guest drop-off location next to our Blue Lot off of Kentucky Derby Drive and Thornberry Avenue. This area may be accessed from Thornberry Ave. for both pickup and drop-off race days.
The best grandstand seats at the Kentucky Derby are in the first covered rows – D, E, and F – of the third floor. Book in section 322 and 323 to reserve seats closest to the finish line.
A neck tag provides details about the product and the artist. The commemorative liter-size bottle will be available nationwide on shelves in March. The suggested retail price, depending on market, is $43.99.
For the Belmont Stakes, the cost is $15,000 to enter and another $15,000 to start. Nomination Form: The 2023 nomination form may be viewed here. Deadline for Stabling: All starters and Also Eligible Horses must be stabled at Churchill Downs by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, May 1, 2023.
Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup winner American Pharoah's stud fee has been set at $200,000 per live foal, meaning the 3-year-old colt could be worth up to $40 million during his first year away from the race track, per ESPN.com's Darren Rovell. The fee of $200,000 is huge for a first-year stud.
The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of one and a quarter miles (2.0 km), the first time horses in the field race that distance. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kilograms) and fillies 121 pounds (55 kilograms).
How much do horse owners make for winning the Belmont Stakes?
How does the Kentucky Derby purse compare to other Triple Crown races? The Kentucky Derby, which brings in a $3 million purse, is the highest purse of the Triple Crown races. The Belmont Stakes comes closely behind with a $1.5 million purse. The Preakness Stakes is the lowest of the three, with a $990,000 purse.
Riders also get performance-related pay in the shape of a percentage of any prize-money their mounts earn. This ranges from 8.5 to nine per cent of winning prize-money over jumps, depending on the race. It is 6.9 per cent on the Flat. Under both codes they take home 3.5 per cent of placed prize-money.
The stud fees are determined through various factors, including the winning history and performance of the horse, and even the performance of its immediate offspring. So the range can be pretty wide, but the best horses can command $100,000-plus per live foal (baby horse) that they produce.
What are The Most Expensive Stud Fees For Horses? The most expensive stallion is Galileo. Even though the price has been labeled as private since 2008,reports indicate that it had previously been close to$700,000.
Fusaichi Pegasus is a Thoroughbred racehorse that has earned the first spot on the list of the most expensive horses in the world. The stallion is noteworthy for acquiring total career earnings of more than 2 million dollars and winning around 75 stakes globally.
Penny Chenery passed away September 18th at the age of 95. Following Secretariat's retirement from racing, Chenery became an ambassador for Thoroughbred racing and remained so, even after the champion's death in 1989.
A record-breaking money winner, in 1973 he became the ninth winner of the U.S. Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes). In his short, brilliant 16-month career, he came in first 16 times, second three times, and third once, winning a total of $1,316,808.
Secretariat's record off the track was not as successful as it had been on it. Put out to stud in late 1973, he sired nearly 600 foals, including one horse that sold for more than $1 million at auction—but nearly all of his male offspring failed miserably at the racetrack.
Jockeys must be at least 16 years old. There is no set height or weight requirement, but the majority of jockeys do not weigh more than 125 pounds, many even less, with height (usually around 5 feet tall) or proportionate to their weight.
After his racing career, Secretariat stood at stud at Claiborne until he passed away at 19.
Has a female horse ever won the Kentucky Derby?
Three fillies (female horses) have won the Derby: Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980), and Winning Colors (1988). 9. Sir Barton never won a race before winning the 1919 Kentucky Derby.
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