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The Grand National is one of the most recognisable horse racing events in the world. Even those with no knowledge of the sport know about this famous old race. Not only is this one of the most well known races, but it’s also one of the most prestigious in terms of prize money.
Every owner and trainer in the National Hunt racing game would simply love to win the Grand National for the accolade and the place in history, but they’d also enjoy getting their hands on what is a very sizable prize fund. Ask any jumps jockey what’s high on their list of dream wins and this one will surely be up there, and probably in no small part down to the financial reward on offer.
2023 Grand National Prize Money
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So, just how much is the Grand National worth? the short answer is a lot. The specific answer has a little more to it. The overall prize fund for the 2023 Grand National stands at an eye-watering £1,000,000 though not all of that goes to the winning connections.
$1,000,000 may seem like a lot for a single horse race, though it’s far from the highest prize pot in the sport. In France, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is worth has an overall prize pot of £3,800,000, while the Japan Cup has a prize fund of £3,400,000. The richest race on planet earth right now in terms of prize money is the Saudi Cup, which is run annually on Riyadh’s dirt track. That race is worth a staggering £8,300,000 in prize money.
Grand National Prize Money History
The National has always been one of Britain’s most lucrative races, but it’s only since 2014 that the prize fund has been seven figures. In 2005, the prize fund stood at £700,000, while if we go back to the early 1990’s the prize money stood at just £167,386, with the winner taking £100,000. Still, not bad for around 10 minutes work.
Arguably the most famous Grand National winning horse of all time, Red Rum, secured his connections around £50,000, while if we go back to the 1920’s, the winning owners were rewarded with £5,000, which is around £300,000 in today’s money.
Who gets the prize money?
The horse that comes home first in the national this year will win a £561,300 share of the £1,000,000 prize pot, though unsurprisingly, the horse doesn’t see much of that. The owner and trainer pocket most of this cash, with the jockey, on top of their pre-agreed riding fee, claims 8% of the winning cut.
After winning connections have been dished out their rather chunky £561,300 share, the remainder of the pot is split between connections of the other nine horses to finish inside the first ten places.
Here is the full breakdown of the Grand National prize money, paid out amongst connections of the first ten horses home:
- £561,300
- £211,100
- £105,500
- £52,700
- £26,500
- £13,200
- £6,800
- £3,600
- £2,000
- £1,000
Who funds the Grand National prize pot?
You may well be wondering who pays for all of this. The answer is that most of the prize money comes from a combination of ticket sales and sponsorship money. The main sponsor of the Grand National is currently global healthcare company Randox, who alongside paying ticket holders, make up the £3,000,000 given out in prize money over the course of three-day Grand National Festival.
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