Sovereignty Wins Kentucky Derby, $3.1M Purse

Sovereignty has won the 151st Kentucky Derby, edging out the favored horse Journalism despite a late push on a muddy track.

Sovereignty’s team will receive $3.1 million of the $5 million purse, usually with 80% going to the owner, 10% going to the jockey, and 10% going to the trainer. Last year, Churchill Downs raised the purse from $3 million to $5 million, the largest prize in the event’s history, and the biggest payout in horse racing’s Triple Crown. The winnings are unchanged this year.

Last year’s winner, Mystik Dan, took home that $3.1 million award in a historically tight race. Churchill Downs saw its highest attendance since 2018 with 156,710 fans and its best TV audience since 1989 with an average of 16.7 million viewers watching at home. Churchill Downs Incorporated, which runs the derby, had in 2024 a record revenue of $2.7 billion, up 11% from the year before.

Heading into the race, Journalism was favored to win with 3–1 odds, with Sovereignty (5–1) holding the next-best chance.

Baeza finished in third place, and Final Gambit was fourth.

Last year, bettors set a new record of $210.7 million wagered on the race, which was $20 million more than the previous high set the year before. Betting on all Derby Day races also hit a new mark last year at $320.5 million.

New to Churchill Downs this year are the $85 million starting gate courtyard and pavilion. Last week, Churchill Downs announced it would pause a $920 million renovation due to “increasing uncertainty surrounding construction costs related to tariff and trade disputes as well as current macro-economic conditions.” An additional $30 million in renovations to be completed by next year were announced at the same time as the larger pause.