Horse racing continues to expand and grow as a sport. Combined with a global surge in popularity and continued success amongst the betting market, contracts and prize pots have surged hugely in the last few years. With betting in horse racing now getting more and more popular, finding tips from Timeform for example is just all too easy. Whilst those involved become increasingly popular in the public eye, they have to earn the right to be making the news. Naturally, it is therefore the jockeys who win more races and cups who end up pulling in the most renown and money. However, the lopsided nature of wealth involved in Japanese and American horse racing sees the majority of current top 20 wealthiest jockeys residing from the two countries exclusively. Throughout history there have been some astonishing jockeys who have earned more than their fair share and filled their wallets. But just who are these jockeys nowadays?
Frankie Dettori
Frankie rose to fame following his Magnificent 7 feat in 1996 whereby he won all seven races at Ascot. He was already a winning jockey, he became a household name when he won this. Whilst his biggest wins out of his over 3000 winning races spanning his 33 year career came on UK turd, Frankie is particularly special for winning races all over the world. He has earned almost as much abroad as he has at home which is a remarkable feat. Frankie continues to win races even in his tender older age with his earnings believed to be at around £150 million in 2018.
Christophe Lemaire
Lemaire started his career in 1999 and has gone on to be a hugely successful jockey. Fortunately rising in fame at the same time as horse racing, Lemaire has managed to combine his talents with the success of the sport to bank some serious money in his bank account. Despite probably never being able to catch the remarkable Take in Japanese horse racing, Lemaire has made serious inroads in the country. Starting out in his native France, Lemaire made the switch to Japan in the middle of the 2010s following consistent wins there. This has led him to beat Take’s records of wins in 2017 and 2018, seeing Lemaire take home huge prize pots in the process. By the end of 2018 Lemaire had earned a huge £115 million in Japanese racing placing him safely in our jockey rich list.
Yutaka Take
Easily the biggest earning jockey in the world and a reflection of just how lucrative Japanese horse racing really is Take. This man has taken the world of horse racing by storm. Whilst the betting and popularity of horse racing in Japan has astronomically erupted in the last few years, no-one quite expected it to turn out just like it has. With constant victories and the Japanese prize pots, Take is said to be worth around double his closest competitor in terms of wealth – sitting at a massive worth of £650 million. Take has nailed the nuance of managing his jockey skills for continual wins and his marriage with popular japanese actress – Ryoko Sano – becoming a celebrity himself. Take’s career has been impressive but it is his prize pot which really does the talking for this legendary jockey.
John Velazquez
It would be impossible to make a rich list and not include an American in it, let’s face it. Fear not, we would never be so blasphemous. Topping the bill as America’s wealthiest jockey is John Velazquez, better known as ‘Johnny V’. This superstar jockey has spent years at the top of the game state-side with more than 30,000 career rides, winning more than 6000 of them, a huge percentage win ratio. He has also won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes two times each. It is no surprise to many, then, that his career earnings are astronomical in comparison with any other American jockey. Johnny V has managed to bank an impressive £330 million over his career, putting him firmly in the top tier of jockeys. Indeed, he is actually pushing the top 20 ever alongside his Japanese counterpart, Take.
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