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Kentucky Derby 2021 Purse: Prize Money Payout for Each Owner, Horse and Jockey
May 1, 2021
After all that buildup, it's always a bit sad when another Kentucky Derby is in the books.
But that bittersweet feeling is tempered somewhat for the owners and jockeys whose horses finished in the top five and therefore will split a $3 million purse.
That total purse is the same as it was in 2020 and 2019. The winner, Medina Spirit, and his owner, Zedan Racing Stables Inc, received a $1.86 million payout.
Medina Spirit came into Saturday's race with 12-1 odds, and the Bob Baffert-trained colt has finished first or second in each of his career races to date. Essential Quality was the favorite at 2-1, and Rock Your World (5-1) and Hot Rod Charlie (8-1) were close behind with the oddsmakers.
Below you'll find a breakdown of the payouts for the horses and their stakeholders after the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby 2021 Payouts (Owner; Jockey)
1. Medina Spirit (Zedan Racing Stables Inc; John Velazquez): $1.86 million
2. Mandaloun (Juddmonte Farms [Khalid Abdullah]; Florent Geroux): $600,000
3. Hot Rod Charlie (Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, LLC and Strauss Bros Racing; Flavien Prat): $300,000
4. Essential Quality (Godolphin, LLC; Luis Saez): $150,000
5. O Besos (Bernard, L. Barrett, Tagg Team Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds; Marcelino Pedroza): $90,000
6. Midnight Bourbon
7. Keepmeinmind
8. Helium
9. Known Agenda
10. Highly Motivated
11. Sainthood
12. Like The King
13. Bourbonic
14. Hidden Stash
15. Brooklyn Strong
16. Super Stock
17. Rock Your World
18. Dynamic One
19. Soup and Sandwich
With Medina Spirit's win, Baffert earned his seventh Kentucky Derby victory, the most for a trainer, according to ESPN. His winning horses have been: Medina Spirit, Authentic in 2020, Justify in 2018, American Pharoah in 2015, War Emblem in 2002, Real Quiet in 1998 and Silver Charm in 1997.
Medina Spirit was bought for just $1,000 as a yearling and $35,000 as a two-year-old, according to The Action Network's Darren Rovell. With today's Derby win, the dark bay colt has a total career earnings of $2.17 million.
Ahead of the Derby, John Mucciolo of TwinSpires had written that "the presence of Bob Baffert makes Medina Spirit an interesting long shot at Churchill Downs on May 1 as he will surely be rounding up to a peak showing beneath the Twin Spires."
He added: "And it would be a fascinating story for a $1,000 yearling to achieve success on the biggest stage in The Run for the Roses."
The story just wrote itself.