The top-earning jockey was James McDonald who earned nearly $2m, headlined by his wins in the Melbourne Cup (Verry Elleegant) and The Everest (Nature Strip).
The new riding fees for 2022/2023 inclusive of superannuation are: Race Ride: $268.52 per ride plus GST (if any). Barrier Trial: $93.98 per ride plus GST (If any).
1. Yutaka Take. Taking the top spot is Japan's Yutaka Take, who has earned an estimated $925m throughout his extensive career, picking up over 4,400 wins in the process. With a record like that, Take is certainly the hottest ticket in town.
Find out what the average Jockey salary is
How much does a Jockey make in Australia? The average jockey salary in Australia is $58,500 per year or $30 per hour.
The world's sexiest jockey Chantal Sutherland ditched modelling for a career in horse racing - a decision which paid off, quite literally. Sutherland, 47, has earned her title from fans of the sport due to her good looks, which have seen her land a number of gigs in front of the cameras.
1. Sir Gordon Richards. Often considered the greatest jockey of all time, Gordon Richards rode 4,870 winners between 1921 and 1954, winning the flat jockeys' championship 26 times.
The real money for jockeys comes from prize money, if they can ride a horse to finish first, second or third in a race and earn part of the purse. The percentages a jockey receives for a Thoroughbred race range from 5% for a second- or third-place finish to 10% for first place.
Like many professional athletes, the salary for jockeys can vary widely depending on the class and level of the races they compete in and how often they race. Jockeys are usually paid a mount fee which is a sum of money for each horse they race and a percentage of the prize money if they place first, second or third.
As a general rule of thumb, Flat jockeys receive 8.5 per cent of the advertised win prizemoney and 2.61 per cent of the place prizemoney. Jump jockeys generally receive around 11.03 per cent of the win fund and 3.44 per cent of the place prizemoney.
The most winners ridden in one day is nine by Chris Antley (USA) on 31 October 1987. They consisted of four in the afternoon at Aqueduct, New York, USA and five in the evening at The Meadowlands, New Jersey, USA.
The tallest professional jockey ever is 24-year-old Jack Andrews from Warwick, England. Born and raised in a horse-mad family, Andrews was devastated when he had a growth spurt late in his teenage years.
Michael Pitt: Berkshire jockey who killed himself was 'life and soul of the party' A TALENTED young jockey who took his own life was the “life and soul of the party” and had a promising career in horse racing ahead of him, an inquest heard.
Jockey Prize Money Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup prize money for the winning jockey is $220,000 which totals 5% of the Melbourne Cup payout for 1st place. They also receive a replica miniature cup valued at $10,000.
In April 2014, the Australian Tax Office made a landmark ruling that jockeys were entitled to the Superannuation Guarantee, a compulsory contribution by employers to Australian workers' retirement.
World Rankings
Current Jockey Rankings as of 22 July 2023. LONGINES World's Best Jockey Rankings are published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). 1st = 12 points; 2nd = 6 points and 3rd = 4 points. Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Jockey salaries typically range between $35,000 and $77,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for jockeys is $25.31 per hour. Jockey salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Jockeys earn the highest average salary in Alaska, Utah, North Dakota, California, and Nevada.
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.
In Jump racing, the Conditional jockey's allowance can be reduced to 5lb after they've ridden 20 winners and 3lb after 40 winners. Once they have ridden 75 winners, the jockey loses their claim and becomes a fully-fledged professional.
This means riding a winner at the Grand National will bag a jockey around £45,000. During the National Hunt season, some riders will receive around just £200 per race, while other big names may be put on a retainer.
The simple answer is no. According to horseracing authorities across the world, professional jockeys are simply not allowed to bet on any races – even if they are not racing in them.
We all know the story about Secretariat; it's even been made into a movie. Along with Man o' War, he is considered to be the best horse of all time. Even ESPN counted Secretariat as on of the Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century during their countdown in 1999.
They lost to another long-shot horse, Ferdinand, and a jockey, Bill Shoemaker, who most people figured was well past his prime: Shoemaker was fifty-four years old when he rode Ferdinand to victory, making him the oldest jockey to ever win the Kentucky Derby, a record that stands to this day.