The first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown is almost here as the Kentucky Derby is set for its 143rd running. The Derby is one of the most profitable races in the world, with a minimum total purse of $2 million up for grabs. Read on below to see how that cash gets broken down.
In order to get a cut of that $2 million purse, a horse must finish inside the top 5 in the Derby. The first-place finisher obviously gets the biggest slice of the pie with $1.24 million. The second-place finisher gets about a third of that amount at $400,000. The amounts get gradually smaller until the fifth-place horse goes home with $60,000.
This year is shaping up to be a wide-open field, with at least six horses getting pretty low odds to win that $1.24 million. Always Dreaming is the current favorite at +300, but he’s only just ahead of McCraken (+300), Classic Empire (+450), Gunnevera (+500), Irish War Cry (+500), and Irap (+550).
Who do you have winning the big race? Create a betting account now to get in on the action for the 2017 Kentucky Derby.
