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How is the purse distributed?

I know that I’ve heard that the jockey gets a percentage, the trainer, and then the manager for the jockey? How does this shake out?

Thanks!

There is no single answer.

The ballpark is 80% to the owner (less fees) after paying 10% to the trainer and 10% to the jockey.

The jockey’s agent is paid out of the jockey’s 10%. They usually get +/- 30% of the jockey’s earnings.

But a lot of this is conditional. A jockey who is hot usually asks for a bigger cut, especially in big races. Same goes for some of these mega trainers.

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What Tex said plus some outfits will bill 2% for the barn staff. Realize too that, depending on the state, there are other fees such as insurance and various other regualatory funds that can take up to another 5% from the gross.

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Something I read was that the winning horse gets about 60% of the purse ($60,000 in a $100,000 purse race). Then the trainer gets 10% of that $60,000, and the jockey gets 10% of that $60,000. That leaves about $48,000 for the owner(s). As stated above, a hot trainer/rider may get more, and some of the purse money, also, may be disbursed to ‘others.’

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