British Jockey Club Increases Prize Money for 2026

Jockey Club prize money will exceed £60 million for the first time in 2026, with an extra £3 million going towards purses compared to last year. A total of £61.47 million (approx. US$84.8 million) in prize money will be raced for, up from £58.1 million in 2025, with the organization investing in the top and developmental ends of the sport in line with the broader approach being taken by British racing. The bulk of the extra £3 million will be targeted at one fixture—the Epsom Derby (G1)—with £1.375 million being added to the two-day event. Last month, the Jockey Club revealed this year's Derby would be worth £2 million, while the Coronation Cup (G1) was also being boosted from £450,000 to £1 million as part of a suite of changes designed to reinvigorate the meeting. Extra prize money is also being put toward class 1 races such as the July Cup Stakes (G1), which will be worth £800,000 in 2026, and developmental races—maidens and novices—for young horses on the flat and over jumps The additional funding will mean the average prize money across the Jockey Club's 322 fixtures this year will be £190,000, a 4.4% increase from 2025, when 319 meetings were scheduled. Jim Mullen, Jockey Club chief executive, said: "We're pleased to be able to increase prize money across our racecourses and have worked hard throughout our budgeting process to ensure this is possible. "Prize money is part of the essential foundation of our sport and we recognize the crucial role it plays as an incentive and reward to all participants. Going forward, the challenge is to maintain the commitment to invest meaningfully to drive the sport forwards. "For the Jockey Club, prize money now accounts for more than 70% of our overall profits, up from 55% in 2019. It would not be sustainable for that trajectory to continue and that's why we announced in December plans to invest in the growth of our key festivals and to tackle efficiency." Alongside the changes to the Derby meeting announced last month, Mullen said the Jockey Club was seeking to invest millions of pounds in its two flagship jumps courses, Aintree and Cheltenham. However, he also warned jobs could be at risk within the group as a result of cost management. Mullen, who joined the Jockey Club in June last year, also said the future of Kempton Park was "out of my hands" due to developer Barratt Redrow continuing to hold an option to build on the site that could still be triggered. The targeting of prize money at the top and developmental ends of British racing was described as a "key priority" by Richard Norris, the Jockey Club's group racing director. He said: "We are pleased to support the new industry initiatives for 2026 that seek to increase the number of horses based and raced in Britain generally, and at the quality end. Given current trends and their potential future impact, these areas must remain key priorities for British racing." Jockey Club rows in behind British racing's push for improvement The Jockey Club's focus on where it is channeling its extra prize money this year chimes with the wider strategy adopted by British racing to back the best and the future of the sport. To coincide with the release of the 2026 fixture list last August, the British Horseracing Authority outlined how more money would be pumped into black-type races on the flat and into races for young horses under both codes to ensure British racing maintained "our global relevance on the flat and primary status over jumps" as equine population levels struggle. In line with this, the Jockey Club said Jan. 29 that the majority of its extra £3 million funding was going toward class 1 races, namely the top end, and towards novice and maiden contests on the flat and over jumps, which covers the developmental part of the racing spectrum. British racing's push to put in more prize money has been copied by Ireland, where Horse Racing Ireland last week announced an additional €4.3 million for purses primarily targeted at the same areas of top-level races and ones for horses coming through. In contrast to Britain and Ireland, France Galop has had to cut prize money this year by €20 million as it seeks to stabilize funding following a drop off in revenue from the Pari Mutuel Urbain. The Jockey Club will be particularly hopeful that its decision to focus on the Derby meeting for prize money boosts will pay off after a disappointing race day in 2025, when just 22,312 people attended. By putting £1.375 million into the Derby meeting, the Jockey Club is committing 46% of its extra total prize money to just two days. It needs the fixture to find its spark.