Inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame back in 2012, jockey John Velazquez has proven to be quite the rider of a horse, earning the most money ever in the history of the sport at just under $318 million. Meet Yutaka Take, the world's richest jockey.
1) Yutaka Take – $796m
Take's father and brother were both jockeys, but it is this man who tops the list of highest-earning jockeys with nearly $800m amassed from victories secured all around the world.
1. Yutaka Take. Yutaka Take is a Japanese jockey whose career earnings are reported to be $796 million USD.
The winningest Thoroughbred jockey in history is John Velazquez, who has earned $464,477,470 in his long career. He's started over 35,000 races, winning 6,494. The next highest-earning U.S. jockey is Javier Castellano, who has started over 31,000 races with 5,638 wins, for earnings of $379 million.
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.
Payout to the winning Kentucky Derby jockey
The jockey that successfully crosses the finish line first in the Run for the Roses will obtain 10% of the winner's purse. Thus, a $1.86 million payout to the winning horse equates to a $186,000 share for the rider.
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.
The 151st running of the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of the Triple Crown, kicks off Saturday, June 8, and there is $1.5 million on the line. Of that, the first-place winner will receive $800,000, according to sports website America's Best Racing. That money is split between the owner, trainer and jockey.
Jockeys ride horses in races and trials. They usually act as independent professionals, contracting their work to horse owners and trainers. In addition to competing in races, jockeys also provide horses with regular exercise.
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.
The record for most wins for a jockey on one North American program was set on June 4, 2005, when Eddie Castro won with nine of 11 mounts on a 13-race card at Calder. The late Chris Antley also won nine in one day in 1987, riding four at Aqueduct in the afternoon and five more that night at the Meadowlands.
Alonzo Clayton won the Kentucky Derby in 1892, and at the age of 15, he became the youngest jockey ever to win the race.
The most expensive horse in the world was the Fusaichi Pegasus – sold for a record price of 70 million dollars! Fusaichi Pegasus won the highest amount of prize money.
The leading rider in the history of the World's Greatest Horseman is Russell Dilday of Wynnewood, Oklahoma.
Secretariat – Maybe the most well-known racehorse of all time was the first in racing history to be awarded the Horse of the Year Award. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history.
Perhaps the most famous horse in racing history, the record-breaking Secretariat was foaled in 1970. Secretariat had a powerful stretch-running ability, giving him an edge over his competitor. It meant he could gain strength and speed as the race wore on.
1. Hayley Turner. With more than 860 winning rides worldwide and £8,000,000 in career prize money, Hayley Turner is the most successful professional female jockey in history.
In all, Turcotte won 3,032 races with more than $28.6 million in career purse earnings.
The salaries of Horse Jockeys in the US range from $10,049 to $271,427 , with a median salary of $48,880 . The middle 57% of Horse Jockeys makes between $48,882 and $123,036, with the top 86% making $271,427.
In general, the purse money comes from people betting on races, entry fees for the race, and money from sponsors. The more people bet at a race; the bigger the purses get for the season. When a horse wins, the owner receives 80%, while the trainer and jockey each get 10%.
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.
Last-minute entries will pay a supplemental fee of $200,000. The entry fee for the Kentucky Derby is another $25,000. Another $25,000 is paid if the horse enters the starting gate.
Are there cheap tickets for the Kentucky Derby? Thankfully, yes. It's not all about the swank and swing this weekend, for those who'd like to take in the action without paying out a downpayment on a house, you can actually purchase “general admission” tickets from the official website for just under $90.