Horse racing prize money per second in Great Britain
The 42 races we hold in Great Britain pay £8.8m across 1 hours 32 minutes of running. the Commonwealth Cup pays the most for its time, at £10,069 a second.
The median race here pays £3,449,707 an hour of running, below the £4,482,396 median across all 611 races we rank, which puts Great Britain 8th of 14 countries. 4 of its races sit in the world's hundred best paid seconds, 1 of them in the top fifty.
The best paid seconds in Great Britain
Prize money per hour of running
Every race in Great Britain, ranked per second
42 races, with each one's place in the world order
| # | Race | Time | Purse | Per second | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commonwealth Cup £725,750 | 1:12.082026 | £725,750 | £10,069 | 48 |
| 2 | Epsom Derby £1,500,000 | 2:43.752026 | £1,500,000 | £9,160 | 52 |
| 3 | St James's Palace Stakes £650,000 | 1:38.482026 | £650,000 | £6,600 | 82 |
| 4 | 2000 Guineas Stakes £525,000 | 1:35.592026 | £525,000 | £5,492 | 98 |
| 5 | St Leger Stakes £700,000 | 3:04.632025 | £700,000 | £3,791 | 144 |
| 6 | Champion Hurdle £450,000 | 3:54.242026 | £450,000 | £1,921 | 233 |
| 7 | Sandy Lane Stakes £125,000 | 1:13.462026 | £125,000 | £1,702 | 255 |
| 8 | King Edward VII Stakes £250,500 | 2:28.762026 | £250,500 | £1,684 | 258 |
| 9 | Great Voltigeur Stakes £250,000 | 2:32.042026 | £250,000 | £1,644 | 268 |
| 10 | Cheltenham Gold Cup £646,880 | 6:39.022026 | £646,880 | £1,621 | 271 |
| 11 | Dante Stakes £192,200 | 2:10.802026 | £192,200 | £1,469 | 284 |
| 12 | Queen's Vase £262,500 | 3:02.072026 | £262,500 | £1,442 | 288 |
| 13 | Jersey Stakes £110,000 | 1:25.182026 | £110,000 | £1,291 | 303 |
| 14 | Gordon Stakes £200,000 | 2:35.252026 | £200,000 | £1,288 | 304 |
| 15 | Hampton Court Stakes £150,000 | 2:04.942026 | £150,000 | £1,201 | 309 |
| 16 | Bahrain Trophy £196,740 | 2:45.112026 | £196,740 | £1,192 | 310 |
| 17 | Westow Stakes £70,000 | 59.54s2026 | £70,000 | £1,176 | 315 |
| 18 | Pavilion Stakes £80,000 | 1:13.242026 | £80,000 | £1,092 | 325 |
| 19 | Thoroughbred Stakes £100,000 | 1:35.052026 | £100,000 | £1,052 | 331 |
| 20 | Burradon Stakes £100,000 | 1:39.552026 | £100,000 | £1,005 | 340 |
| 21 | Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes $150,000 | 1:55.172009 | £111,111 | £965 | 347 |
| 22 | Cardinal Stakes £100,000 | 1:45.072026 | £100,000 | £952 | 350 |
| 23 | Chester Vase £140,000 | 2:35.222026 | £140,000 | £902 | 362 |
| 24 | Craven Stakes £85,000 | 1:37.212026 | £85,000 | £874 | 368 |
| 25 | Dee Stakes £100,000 | 2:06.542026 | £100,000 | £790 | 393 |
| 26 | King George V Stakes £110,000 | 2:29.742026 | £110,000 | £735 | 407 |
| 27 | Sandown Classic Trial £85,000 | 2:09.362026 | £85,000 | £657 | 445 |
| 28 | Greenham Stakes £55,000 | 1:24.922026 | £55,000 | £648 | 449 |
| 29 | March Stakes £100,000 | 3:04.312022 | £100,000 | £543 | 481 |
| 30 | Noel Murless Stakes £100,000 | 3:12.082025 | £100,000 | £521 | 490 |
| 31 | Feilden Stakes £55,000 | 1:50.792026 | £55,000 | £496 | 502 |
| 32 | Heron Stakes £45,000 | 1:40.372026 | £45,000 | £448 | 522 |
| 33 | Newmarket Stakes £55,000 | 2:03.802026 | £55,000 | £444 | 525 |
| 34 | Esher Cup £45,000 | 1:43.582026 | £45,000 | £434 | 530 |
| 35 | European Free Handicap £35,000 | 1:24.802022 | £35,000 | £413 | 541 |
| 36 | Easter Stakes £40,000 | 1:38.492009 | £40,000 | £406 | 544 |
| 37 | Cocked Hat Stakes £60,000 | 2:28.262026 | £60,000 | £405 | 546 |
| 38 | Lingfield Derby Trial £60,000 | 2:29.222026 | £60,000 | £402 | 548 |
| 39 | Glasgow Stakes £55,000 | 2:21.202026 | £55,000 | £390 | 553 |
| 40 | Blue Riband Trial Stakes £50,000 | 2:09.272026 | £50,000 | £387 | 554 |
| 41 | Fairway Stakes £40,000 | 2:04.882022 | £40,000 | £320 | 582 |
| 42 | Sir Henry Cecil Stakes £25,500 | 1:39.702026 | £25,500 | £256 | 592 |
Great Britain against the other 13
Median prize money per hour of running
| # | Country | Races | Median per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 11 | £58,411,215£58.4m |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 15 | £55,272,727£55.3m |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 5 | £18,175,311£18.2m |
| 4 | Singapore | 3 | £17,376,837£17.4m |
| 5 | the United States | 197 | £10,322,914£10.3m |
| 6 | Japan | 24 | £7,907,679£7.9m |
| 7 | New Zealand | 37 | £6,278,639£6.3m |
| 8 | Great Britain | 42 | £3,449,707£3.4m |
| 9 | Italy | 32 | £3,192,772£3.2m |
| 10 | France | 127 | £2,878,866£2.9m |
| 11 | the United Arab Emirates | 31 | £2,622,995£2.6m |
| 12 | Canada | 24 | £2,621,159£2.6m |
| 13 | Germany | 50 | £1,611,867£1.6m |
| 14 | Ireland | 10 | £1,331,071£1.3m |
Frequently asked questions
Which race in Great Britain pays the most per second?
the Commonwealth Cup, at £10,069 a second. Its £725,750 purse was run in 1:12.08 in 2026, and it is 48th of the 611 races we rank worldwide.
How does Great Britain compare with the rest of the world?
The median race in Great Britain pays £3,449,707 an hour of running, below the £4,482,396 median across all 611 races. That makes it 8th of the 14 countries with a page here.
How long do the races in Great Britain take to hand over their prize money?
The 42 races here pay out £8,836,181 across 1 hours 32 minutes of running, an average of £1,593 a second.
Is the richest race in Great Britain the best paid per second?
No. the Epsom Derby has the biggest purse here at £1,500,000, but takes 2:43.75 to run and ranks 2nd in Great Britain per second.
Where to next
The rest of the racing money