There are some exceptionally wealthy racehorses out there, or at least there would be if they got to keep the cash. While the horses compete purely for the love of sport, plus the promise of continued board and lodgings, those who race them have the potential to become extremely rich. The owners of the sport’s top performers already tend to be extremely rich, but every little help and racing’s highest-earning performers have certainly topped up the bank accounts of some decidedly content connections. It is not necessarily the case the very best horses always earn the most money. Frankel, for example, amassed £2,998,302, a not inconsiderable amount but not even a quarter as much as all-time table-topper Arrogate.
No 3 in the world: GUN RUNNER – $15,988,500. Like Arrogate, this late bloomer’s place on the list was secured thanks to victory in the Pegasus World Cup 12 months ago, netting a cool £5.19m for connections. A winner at two, his Classic season was solid if unspectacular, winning a hat-trick of Graded races and securing a number of valuable top-flight places before securing the first of six Grade 1 victory in his final outing that season. A Breeders’ Cup Classic victory in 2017 added a further £2.68m to his prize-money total, but ironically, despite three other Grade 1 wins, his next most valuable prize came when finishing second to Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup – £1.63m.
No 2 in the world: WINX – A$22,934,924. The most valuable race so far won by the sport’s number-two earner was the 2018 Cox Plate, which netted Winx’s entourage the equivalent of £1.76m. That’s nothing like as hefty as Arrogate’s most valuable success, but whereas Arrogate was a fleeting flame, the wonder that is Winx has burned brilliantly for years. She is also a true superstar in Australia, whereas most Americans would never have heard of Arrogate. Last year’s Cox Plate was not her first, second, or even her third – and that fourth win took her unbeaten tally to 29.
No 1 in the world: ARROGATE – $17,422,600. The world’s biggest prize-money winner is also, not surprisingly, the American record holder. Step forward, Arrogate, also crowned the world’s leading racehorse of 2016 and 2017. With jockey Mike Smith – sometimes referred to by his nickname “Big Money Mike” – sporting the Juddmonte Farms silks of Khalid Abdullah, Arrogate landed three of the planet’s richest races within the space of four months. The Breeders’ Cup Classic netted his camp £2.24 million, the Pegasus World Cup £5.69m and the Dubai World Cup £4.88m.
