Nashville Derby prize money
The Nashville Derby is worth $3,500,000 for the 2025 running . That makes it the 20th richest of the 997 races on this site and the 4th richest in the United States.
Every figure here is the money the race announces, in the currency it announces it in. The currency control at the top swaps the whole page.
What the Nashville Derby is
Grade II · miles · Turf · Kentucky Downs
- Racecourse
- Kentucky Downs
- Country
- United States
- Grade
- Grade II
- Distance
- miles
- Surface
- Turf
- Race type
- Thoroughbred, Flat racing
- Open to
- Three-year-olds
- Direction
- Left-handed
- First run
- 2014
We hold the total fund for the Nashville Derby and no separate winner's cheque. What the winner takes is a rule the racecourse sets rather than a national one, and it varies race by race.
Run in 2:08.49 in 2026, the Nashville Derby pays $27,239 for every second of the race, which is 21st of the 611 races in horse racing prize money per second and 6th in the United States.
Every Nashville Derby winner
13 runnings, 2014 to 2026, newest first
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Caroline St. Beat2:08.49 | Tyler Gaffalione | Miguel Clement | Madaket Stables and Steven Bouchey | $3,000,000$3.0m |
| 2025 | Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB)2:06.76 | Frankie Dettori | James Owen | The Gredley Family | $2,780,000$2.8m |
| 2024 | Bellum Justum (IRE)2:07.28 | Frankie Dettori | Andrew M. Balding | King Power Racing | $2,337,160$2.3m |
| 2023 | Anglophile2:08.93 | Declan Cannon | Brian A. Lynch | LFG Racing | $998,000 |
| 2022 | Kitodan2:15.41 | Gerardo Corrales | Eric N. Foster | Foster Family Racing, Douglas E. Miller & William J. Wargel | $750,000 |
| 2021 | Accredit2:10.94 | Martin Garcia | Pavel Matejka | Bob Grayson Jr. & Pavel Matejka | $732,375 |
| 2020 | Moon Over Miami2:06.76 | Javier Castellano | William I. Mott | Summer Wind Equine | $707,625 |
| 2019 | Social Paranoia2:08.50 | Jose L. Ortiz | Todd A. Pletcher | The Elkstone Group | $600,000 |
| 2018 | Channel Cat2:15.51 | Luis Saez | Todd A. Pletcher | Calumet Farm | $398,000 |
| 2017 | Big Bend2:11.57 | Drayden Van Dyke | Thomas Proctor | Union Rags Racing | $350,000 |
| 2016 | Oscar Nominated2:11.45 | Florent Geroux | Michael J. Maker | Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey | $346,710 |
| 2015 | Closing Bell2:17.60 | Jose Lezcano | William I. Mott | WinStar Farm | $299,300 |
| 2014 | My Afleet2:14.10 | Leandro Goncalves | James L. Lawrence II | Jeffrey S. Amling & Merriefield Farm | $230,417 |
13 of the 13 runnings name the rider, 13 name the trainer and 13 name the owner, who is the one of the three the prize money actually belongs to. 13 carry the total prize money for that year, converted here the same way the purse above is.
What the Nashville Derby has paid, season by season
Total prize money, 2014 to 2026
The total prize money went from $230,417 in 2014 to $3,000,000 in 2026, 13.0 times more. Every year is converted at today's rate, so the line is the money the race puts up rather than the money the exchange rate did.
Who wins the Nashville Derby more than once
The fact the table above holds and cannot show
Most wins by a trainer
Races worth about the same
Either side of the Nashville Derby in the world money order
| # | Race | Country | Prize money | As published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Dubai Sheema ClassicMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | $6,000,000$6.0m | $6,000,000 |
| 8 | Dubai TurfMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | $6,000,000$6.0m | $6,000,000 |
| 9 | Prix de l'Arc de TriompheLongchamp Racecourse | France | $5,683,761$5.7m | €5,000,000 |
| 11 | Hong Kong CupSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $5,054,000$5.1m | HK$40,000,000 |
| 12 | Breeders' Cup TurfNorth America | United States | $5,000,000$5.0m | $5,000,000 |
| 13 | Kentucky DerbyChurchill Downs | United States | $5,000,000$5.0m | $5,000,000 |
| 15 | Hong Kong MileSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $4,043,200$4.0m | HK$32,000,000 |
| 16 | Queen Elizabeth II CupSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $3,790,500$3.8m | HK$30,000,000 |
| 17 | Caulfield CupCaulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia | Australia | $3,518,519$3.5m | AU$5,000,000 |
| 18 | Golden Slipper StakesRosehill Gardens Racecourse | Australia | $3,518,519$3.5m | AU$5,000,000 |
| 21 | Hong Kong SprintSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $3,285,100$3.3m | HK$26,000,000 |
| 22 | Hong Kong DerbySha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $3,032,400$3.0m | HK$24,000,000 |
| 23 | Hong Kong VaseSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $3,032,400$3.0m | HK$24,000,000 |
| 24 | Pegasus World Cup Invitational StakesGulfstream Park | United States | $3,000,000$3.0m | $3,000,000 |
| 25 | Doncaster HandicapRandwick Racecourse, | Australia | $2,814,815$2.8m | AU$4,000,000 |
| 26 | Chairman's Sprint PrizeSha Tin Racecourse | Hong Kong | $2,527,000$2.5m | HK$20,000,000 |
| 28 | UAE DerbyMeydan Racecourse | United Arab Emirates | $2,500,000$2.5m | $2,500,000 |
| 30 | Caulfield GuineasCaulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia | Australia | $2,111,111$2.1m | AU$3,000,000 |
| 31 | Magic Millions ClassicGold Coast Turf Club | Australia | $2,111,111$2.1m | AU$3,000,000 |
| 32 | Belmont StakesBelmont Park | United States | $2,000,000$2.0m | $2,000,000 |
The 20 races closest to the Nashville Derby in what they pay, above and below it. Follow the ranking all the way up on the richest races in the world.
The rest of the money in the United States
196 races, 4th of them is this one
| Race | Racecourse | Grade | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whirl Stakes | Empire City Race Track, Yonkers, New York, | $4,000 | |
| Breeders' Cup Classic | North America | Grade I | $7,000,000$7.0m |
| Breeders' Cup Turf | North America | Grade I | $5,000,000$5.0m |
| Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs | Grade I | $5,000,000$5.0m |
| Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes | Gulfstream Park | Grade I | $3,000,000$3.0m |
| Belmont Stakes | Belmont Park | Grade I | $2,000,000$2.0m |
| Breeders' Cup Distaff | North America | Grade I | $2,000,000$2.0m |
| Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf | North America | Grade 1 | $2,000,000$2.0m |
Every race in the United States we hold a purse for is on the United States prize money list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total Nashville Derby prize money?
$3,500,000, for the 2025 running.
Where does the Nashville Derby rank among the richest races in the world?
20th of 997. 19 races pay more, the nearest of them Dubai Sheema Classic. In the United States it is 4th of 196.
Which jockey has won the Nashville Derby most often?
Frankie Dettori, with 2 wins between 2024 and 2025.
When was the Nashville Derby first run?
2014. This page holds 13 runnings, from 2014 to 2026.
How far is the Nashville Derby?
miles, on turf, at Kentucky Downs.
Where to next
The rest of the racing money