HORSE RACING
The winner of the 2025 Kentucky Derby will make over $3 million dollars, with a recent boost to the Run for the Roses’ purse taking the total prize pool higher than ever before.
A 20-horse field will vie for the top prize at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby from the very first running back in 1875.
No one is giving a horse the financial windfall that comes with a victory, but the breeders, trainers, and jockeys involved in the 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby will all be hoping for a share of a purse that will be split among the top five finishers in this first race of the 2025 Triple Crown.
Here is a breakdown of the 2025 Kentucky Derby purse, including the winner’s prize and how to watch the race:
When is Kentucky Derby? Date, time, TV and streaming info for 151st Run for the Roses
Kentucky Derby purse 2025: Winner payout, prize money
Among other things, the Kentucky Derby claims a place as the most lucrative horse race in the United States, and the 151st edition will once again see a $5 million purse available at Churchill Downs.
The purse had been $3 million for years, but in 2024 that figure jumped by two-thirds. Last year’s winner, Mystik Dan, brought home a $3.1 million prize (with 10% of that going to winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.), while runner-up Sierra Leone got a cool $1 million consolation prize.
Here’s the prize money breakdown for the 2025 Kentucky Derby:
- Winner: $3.1 million
- 2nd place: $1 million
- 3rd place: $500,000
- 4th place: $250,000
- 5th place: $150,000
Kentucky Derby 2025: TV, streaming and where to watch
- When: Saturday, May 3
- Coverage starts: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Post time: 6:57 p.m. ET
- Where: Churchill Downs (Louisville, Kentucky)
- Cable TV: NBC, USA Network
- Streaming: Fubo, Peacock
Watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo
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