Kentucky Derby 2019: Prize Money Purse, Latest Vegas Odds Payouts and More

The Kentucky Derby is often the highlight of the year in the horse racing industry and among casual fans.

The glory of winning the Derby means a place in history for the horse and its connections, and it also means a huge payout to the winner.

The owner, trainer and jockey of the horse that wins the 1¼-mile race will take home $1.86 million of the $3 million purse. This year's prize money has increased by $1 million, per KentuckyDerby.com.

The top five finishers in the Run for the Roses all receive prize money. The second-place finisher earns $600,000 and third place earns $300,000, while fourth- and fifth-place takes home $150,000 and $90,000, respectively.

That prize money is paid out to the owner, with the jockey and trainer each earning 10 percent fees.

2019 Kentucky Derby Info

Date: Saturday, May 4

Post Time: 6:50 p.m. ET 

TV Coverage: NBC from 2:30-7:15 p.m. ET

2019 Kentucky Derby Field

Post position, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Odds

2. War of Will, Mark Casse, Tyler Gaffalione, 15-1

3. Tax, Danny Gargan, Junior Alvarado, 20-1

4. By My Standards, Bret Calhoun, Gabriel Saez, 15-1

5. Gray Magician, Peter Miller, Drayden Van Dyke, 50-1

6. Improbable, Bob Baffert, Irad Ortiz Jr., 5-1

7. Vekoma, George Weaver, Javier Castellano, 15-1

8. Maximum Security, Jason Servis, Luis Saez, 8-1

9. Tacitus, Bill Mott, Jose Ortiz, 8-1

10. Plus Que Parfait, Brendan Walsh, Ricardo Santana Jr., 30-1

11. Cutting Humor, Todd Pletcher, Mike Smith, 30-1

12. Code of Honor, Shug McGaughey, John Velazquez, 12-1

13. Win Win Win, Michael Trombetta, Julian Pimentel, 12-1

14. Master Fencer (Japanese qualifier), Koichi Tsunoda, Julien Leparoux, 50-1

15. Game Winner, Bob Baffert, Joel Rosario, 9-2

16. Roadster, Bob Baffert, Florent Geroux, 5-1

17. Long Range Toddy, Steve Asmussen, Jon Court, 30-1

18. Spinoff, Todd Pletcher, Manny Franco, 30-1

19. Country House, Bill Mott, Flavien Prat, 30-1

AE-20. Bodexpress, Gustavo Delgado, Chris Landeros, 30-1

Scratched: Haikal, Omaha Beach

Odds courtesy of Churchill Downs PR.

Game Winner is the pre-race favorite at odds of 9-2, and a bettor who wagers $2 on that horse will receive a minimum of $11 for a successful bet. Roadster and Improbable are both listed at 5-1, and a $2 bet on those horses will return a minimum of $12.

The longest shots on the board are Gray Magician and Master Fencer at 50-1. A $2 bet on those horses would return a minimum of $102 for those wagers.

Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled five Kentucky Derby winners in his career and he won the Triple Crown a year ago with Justify. He has three horses in this year's race in Game Winner, Roadster and Improbable, and he has an excellent chance of saddling the Derby winner for the sixth time in his career.

Game Winner won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall and established his credentials with that victory. The colt will be ridden by Joel Rosario, one of the best jockeys in the sport, and he should be able to keep his mount from trying to pick up the pace too early. While Game Winner does not want to get shuffled back at the start, he will want to settle in and let the pace-setters go to the front before he turns on his speed.

If the race goes well for Game Winner, he will make his move on the far turn and pass tiring runners throughout the stretch. 

Roadster is coming off an impressive victory in the Santa Anita Derby. Roadster has overcome throat surgery and is in good form. His jockey, Florent Geroux, is capable of taking this horse through a small opening and advancing with a sharp move.

Improbable has a good chance to contend with a fine rider in Irad Ortiz Jr. The question about Improbable is whether he will be able to handle the distance and get to the wire before he starts to fade. His breeding indicates this could be an issue at the distance.

Maximum Security and Tacitus are not conceding anything to Baffert's horses. Maximum Security is trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Luis Saez, and this horse won the Florida Derby. Saez was able to slow the pace in that race, allowing Maximum Security to have enough steam left in the final stages.

Tacitus is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz's brother. Tacitus has to be respected in this race because he is coming off victories in the Tampa Bay Derby and the Wood Memorial.

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Racing information from KentuckyDerby.com, BloodHorse.com and TwinSpires.com.