When it comes to the 2019 Kentucky Derby, it pays to be a winner.
The top five finishers will bring home some serious bank, splitting the majority of a $3 million purse – up $1 million from the prize total that stood from 2005-2018. That’s a lot of moolah getting spread around to the fastest horses, though everyone gets a share, even if it’s only a couple hundred dollars. The first-place jockey will take home 10% of the top prize, while the jockeys who place second to fifth will keep 5% of the winnings.
Churchill Downs is the track to make the most bank, with winners of the final two Triple Crown races, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, getting a fraction of the cash.
Here’s how much the top horses will bring home, in addition to the winner’s rose wreath:
First (Win) $1.86 million
Second (Place) $600,000
Third (Show) $300,000
Fourth $150,000
Fifth $90,000


