Jockey Club announces prize-money boost

The Jockey Club has announced a rise in prize-money to a total of £61.47 million across 2026.

In 2025 the figure was £58.1 million, with the rise attributed partly to the increased prize fund of £1.375 million offered across the Betfred Derby Festival this year.

A handful of extra programmed races also add to the sum, with another factor the money available for class one and developmental races, made possible due to boosted funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Jockey Club.

Jim Mullen, chief executive of the Jockey Club, 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 recognise 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 per cent of our overall profits, up from 55 per cent 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.”

Richard Norris, the Jockey Club’s group racing director, also explained the significance of the increase in prize money for class one and developmental races.

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.”