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HORSE RACING · UNITED STATES · 14 RACES

Churchill Downs prize money

14 races at Churchill Downs put up $15.7m between them. The Kentucky Derby leads on $5,000,000, 32% of everything the course puts up.

Churchill Downs is 8th of the 34 racecourses on this site, and the richest in the United States. The average race here is worth $1,123,214.

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY $15.7m
RICHEST RACE $5.0m
RACES 14
GRADE 1 RACES 8
RANK IN UNITED STATES 1st

The twelve richest races at Churchill Downs

By prize money

Paid in USD

Kentucky Derby $5.0m Stephen Foster Stakes $2.0m Kentucky Oaks $1.5m Turf Classic Stakes $1.5m American Turf Stakes $1.0m Churchill Downs Stakes $1.0m Derby City Distaff Stakes $1.0m La Troienne Stakes $1.0m Pat Day Mile Stakes $750k Matt Winn Stakes $400k
Maxfield Stakes $250k
Northern Dancer Stakes $125k

Every race, ranked

14 races, biggest purse first

# Race Grade Prize money Share
1 Kentucky Derby 1 1/4 miles Grade 1 $5,000,000$5.0m 31.8%
2 Stephen Foster Stakes miles Grade 1 $2,000,000$2.0m 12.7%
3 Kentucky Oaks miles Grade 1 $1,500,000$1.5m 9.5%
4 Turf Classic Stakes miles (9 furlongs) Grade 1 $1,500,000$1.5m 9.5%
5 American Turf Stakes miles Grade 1 $1,000,000 6.4%
6 Churchill Downs Stakes 7 furlongs Grade 1 $1,000,000 6.4%
7 Derby City Distaff Stakes 7 furlongs Grade 1 $1,000,000 6.4%
8 La Troienne Stakes miles Grade 1 $1,000,000 6.4%
9 Pat Day Mile Stakes 1 mile Grade 2 $750,000 4.8%
10 Matt Winn Stakes miles Grade 3 $400,000 2.5%
11 Maxfield Stakes 7 furlongs Grade 3 $250,000 1.6%
12 Northern Dancer Stakes ( miles) (8.5 furlongs) Grade 3 $125,000 0.8%
13 American Derby 1 1/16 miles Listed $100,000 0.6%
14 Jefferson Cup Stakes miles (8.5 furlongs) Grade 3 $100,000 0.6%

The oldest race here is the Kentucky Derby, with winners recorded from 1875. The newest is the Maxfield Stakes, first won in 2022. Every one of them is a flat race.

How the money splits by grade

The 14 races at Churchill Downs, by the grade each is run at

Grade Races Prize money Share Richest
Grade 1 8 $14,000,000$14.0m 89% Kentucky Derby
Grade 2 1 $750,000 5% Pat Day Mile Stakes
Grade 3 4 $875,000 6% Matt Winn Stakes
Listed 1 $100,000 1% American Derby

Grade 1 races are 57% of the races at Churchill Downs and 89% of the money. The average Grade 1 race here is worth $1,750,000, against $1,123,214 across the course.

Where Churchill Downs stands in the United States

The richest racecourses in the United States, by what their races put up

# Racecourse Races Prize money
1 Churchill Downs 13 $15,475,000$15.5m
2 Belmont Park 17 $11,500,000$11.5m
3 Keeneland Race Course 17 $10,750,000$10.7m
4 Saratoga Race Course 20 $9,550,000$9.5m
5 Gulfstream Park 12 $6,665,000$6.7m
6 Santa Anita Park 24 $5,795,000$5.8m
7 Kentucky Downs 2 $5,250,000$5.2m
8 Oaklawn Park Race Track 5 $4,750,000$4.7m
9 Del Mar Racetrack 11 $3,900,000$3.9m
10 Parx Racing and Casino 4 $2,600,000$2.6m
11 Aqueduct Racetrack 12 $2,515,000$2.5m
12 Pimlico Race Course 4 $2,350,000$2.3m

Churchill Downs holds 13% of the prize money in the 196 races we hold for the United States.

Racecourses worth about the same

The courses either side of Churchill Downs in the money order, anywhere in the world

Flemington Racecourse $20m Longchamp Racecourse $18m Rosehill Gardens Racecourse $18m Caulfield Racecourse $16m
Churchill Downs $16m
Belmont Park $12m Keeneland Race Course $11m Saratoga Race Course $9.5m Ascot Racecourse, Perth $8.5m

Who wins at Churchill Downs

Winning rides across every year of the 14 races here

# Jockey Wins Races Span
1 Pat Day 34 13 1983 to 2004
2 Eddie Arcaro 20 4 1938 to 1959
3 Robby Albarado 18 8 1998 to 2018
4 Bill Shoemaker 16 5 1955 to 1986
5 Florent Geroux 15 8 2014 to 2026
6 John R. Velazquez 15 8 1997 to 2023
7 Jerry D. Bailey 14 6 1991 to 2004
8 Javier Castellano 13 8 2005 to 2025
9 Chris McCarron 11 8 1977 to 2002
10 Flavien Prat 11 7 2016 to 2026

The trainers

Winners saddled across the same races

# Trainer Wins Races Span
1 Bob Baffert 23 10 1996 to 2026
2 William I. Mott 21 9 1983 to 2025
3 Steven M. Asmussen 21 8 2003 to 2026
4 Todd A. Pletcher 20 8 2004 to 2025
5 D. Wayne Lukas 19 8 1982 to 2024
6 Brad H. Cox 15 8 2017 to 2026
7 Chad C. Brown 12 6 2013 to 2026
8 Dale L. Romans 12 8 2004 to 2018
9 Woody Stephens 11 4 1960 to 1985
10 Ben A. Jones 11 4 1941 to 1952

The horses that won here more than once

Wins across the 14 races at Churchill Downs

# Horse Wins Span Biggest win
1 Citation 3 1948 Kentucky Derby
2 Divisidero 3 2015 to 2017 Turf Classic Stakes
3 Arab's Arrow 3 1938 to 1940 Churchill Downs Stakes
4 Tizdejavu 3 2008 American Turf Stakes
5 Black Gold 2 1924 Kentucky Derby
6 Cavalcade 2 1934 Kentucky Derby
7 Dark Star 2 1953 Kentucky Derby
8 Forward Pass 2 1968 Kentucky Derby
9 Hill Gail 2 1952 Kentucky Derby
10 Ponder 2 1949 Kentucky Derby

Frequently asked questions

What is the richest race at Churchill Downs?

The Kentucky Derby, at $5,000,000. It is 32% of the prize money in the 14 races here and the 13th richest race in the world.

How much prize money is there at Churchill Downs?

$15,725,000 across the 14 races on this site that are run there, an average of $1,123,214 a race.

Which is the richest racecourse in the United States?

Churchill Downs. Its races put up $15,725,000, 13% of the prize money we hold for the United States.

How many Grade 1 races are run at Churchill Downs?

Eight, worth $14,000,000 between them. That is 89% of the course's prize money from 57% of its races.

Which horse has won the most big races at Churchill Downs?

Citation, with 3 wins across three of these races in 1948.

Which jockey has won the most big races at Churchill Downs?

Pat Day, with 34 winning rides across thirteen of these races between 1983 and 2004.

Where to next

Every racecourse, and the rest of the racing money

Every racecourse

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