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May and June are the highest-profile months for horse racing in the United States with the running of the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Those marquee races are known for their rich purses — the 2022 Kentucky Derby’s purse was $3 million, with $1.86 million going to the winner, Rich Strike.
Jockey Earnings
Far less attention is given to the jockey, the person who travels the whole way with the horse. A winning jockey takes 10% of the horse’s purse at the Kentucky Derby, so $186,000 for 2022′s Derby winner, Sonny Leon.
From those winnings, Leon likely paid a 25% to 30% fee to his agent and a 5% tip to the valet who helped him prepare his gear for the race. That’s still a huge payday in a sport where an average year’s earnings can be around $50,000.
Did You Know?
Jockeys are some of the original “gig workers” because they work as independent contractors. Rather than earn a salary, a jockey receives a “mounting fee” — typically $25-$150 — for each race, riding sometimes eight races per day.
The real money for jockeys comes from prize money, if they can ride a horse to finish first, second or third in a race and earn part of the purse. The percentages a jockey receives for a Thoroughbred race range from 5% for a second- or third-place finish to 10% for first place. In less competitive races, the jockey’s earnings can be as low as 0.50% for a third-place finish, 1% for placing second and perhaps 6%-10% for first place.
Make Your Money Work for You
Like other gig workers, jockeys often have to pay for their own equipment, which might include helmets, vests, goggles, boots and riding crops.
Highest-Earning Jockeys
Certainly, the top jockeys do quite well. 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.
How Much Do They Make Guides
Daria Uhligcontributed to the reporting for this article.
Information is accurate as of April 20, 2023.
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FAQs
The average jockey salary in the United States is $52,645. Jockey salaries typically range between $35,000 and $77,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for jockeys is $25.31 per hour.
How much money do jockeys make? ›
Salary Ranges for Horse Jockey
The salaries of Horse Jockeys in The US range from $14,168 to $936,869 with a median salary of $62,783. Most of Horse Jockey make between $53,130 to $67,228.
How much did the jockey make at the Kentucky Derby? ›
Using calculations from previous Kentucky Derby runnings by CNBC, Hernandez Jr. will take home 10% of the winning $3.1 million winning payout — or $500,000. Note: The 10% percentage payout for the winning jockey of the Kentucky Derby is when the purse was $3 million.
How much does a jockey get paid per ride? ›
The jockey earnings do not include the money they make per race ride, which is around $270 plus GST, plus around $95 plus GST to ride in barrier trials. Of the top 10 earning jockeys, young gun Tyler Schiller has ridden the most winners with 53 for the season so far.
Who is the highest paid horse jockey? ›
Japan's Yutaka Take has amassed an incredible $950 million over nearly 4,500 wins, making him the highest-paid and the richest jockey in the world. Born on March 15, 1969, Take wanted to follow in his father, Kunihiko Take's footsteps, who was a very accomplished jockey. Yutaka made his riding debut in 1987.
Do jockeys get paid if they don't win? ›
Jockeys receive 50% of their riding fee for any non-runner after jockey declarations.
Do jockeys keep earnings? ›
Instead of reporting what a jockey earns, racing reports how much prize money has been won by the horses under the jockey's saddle. Jockeys get just a small fraction of that prize money. A simple rule of thumb is that jockeys get eight percent[2], but that's only true on average.
How much is a jockey's riding fee? ›
However, as a general rule of thumb Flat jockeys receive around 8.5% of the advertised win prize and 2.61% of the advertised place prize. Jump Jockeys receive around 11.03% of the win prize and 3.44% of the place prize. The riding fee is negotiated annually between the PJA and the ROA.
How many horses can a jockey ride in one day? ›
Jockeys ride thoroughbred horses in professional competitions. Jockeys must become familiar with the horses they ride on a regular basis and often are part of their training. A jockey contracts with the horse's owner or trainer and may ride as many as 10 horses in a single day.
Do horse riders make good money? ›
As of May 21, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Horse Rider in the United States is $18.08 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $34.13 and as low as $5.29, the majority of Horse Rider wages currently range between $11.54 (25th percentile) to $22.36 (75th percentile) across the United States.
So, in light of this, we decided to look at five of the best jockeys of all time, starting with Bill Shoemaker at 5.
- 5 – Bill Shoemaker. ...
- 4 – Frankie Dettori. ...
- 3 – Ruby Walsh. ...
- 2 – Lester Piggott. ...
- 1 – Sir Anthony McCoy.
Current Jockeys Standings Top 100 G1 Races List
| Current Jockeys Standings |
|---|
| *** as of 26 May 2024 | |
| Jockey | 1st Place(s) | Total Points |
| James McDonald | 5 | 104 |
| William T. Buick | 3 | 40 |
57 more rowsHowever, most riders who compete at the top levels make their living by being paid to train horses, teaching riders, giving seminars, buying and selling horses. Competing is for their own satisfaction and pursuit of the ideal, and to show people that they can train horses correctly with great results.
What is the weight limit for a jockey? ›
Jockeys must be at least 16 years old. There is no set height or weight requirement, but the majority of jockeys do not weigh more than 125 pounds, many even less, with height (usually around 5 feet tall) or proportionate to their weight.
How much does the Kentucky Derby trainer winner get? ›
How much does the Kentucky Derby winner earn? The total purse is $5 million. $3.1 million goes to the winner and that money is divided amongst the owner, who gets gets 80 percent, and the trainer and jockey who each get 10 percent. Check out the video above for more information on how the purse is split.
What does a jockey do for a living? ›
Jockeys ride horses in competitive races, race trials, and for exercise. Specialisations: Apprentice Jockey, Steeplechase Jockey. Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Jockey. Although some workers have a certificate IV in racing (jockey).
Do jockeys get 10% of prize money? ›
A - The owner receives 75% of the prize money the remaining 25% is split between the trainer 10%, the jockey 10%, stable staff and racing charities 5%.
