$3 Million Up For Grabs In Kentucky Derby

Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned steroid after powering to victory in the Kentucky Derby

There is a lot on the line in the 2022 Kentucky Derby. The first-place finisher will be one step closer toward winning the Triple Crown and take home seven figures in prize money.

In total, a $3 million purse is up for grabs at Churchill Downs Saturday. The 2022 Kentucky Derby winner will be awarded $1.86 million. Second place gets $600,000. Third place in this year’s Kentucky Derby is worth $300,000.

Fourth place at the 2022 Kentucky Derby gets $100,000. Fifth place in the 20-horse race is awarded $60,000.

According to TwinSpires.com, the jockey who rides the winning horse receives 10% of the winnings. That works out to $186,000 for leading the first-place horse to the finish line.

The second-place and third-place jockeys receive 5% of the prize money. The fourth-place jockey gets $7,000, and $4,000 goes to the jockey of the horse than finishes in fifth.

Bob Baffert is the most successful trainer in Kentucky Derby history. His horses have totaled over $33 million in prize money at the Run for the Roses, according to Yahoo. Baffert has been suspended from the 2022 Kentucky Derby because he trained Medina Spirit, which won last year’s race before failing a drug test.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has won $7.7 million in prize money at the Kentucky Derby. Lukas’ horse Ethereal is a long shot to win Saturday’s race.

The total Kentucky Derby purse increased from $2 million to a record $3 million in 2019. The purse first reached $1 million in 1996.

The Derby winner usually races for close to two minutes from start to finish. That works out to about $15,500 per second for the first-place finisher.