The Grand National prize money is something that hits the headlines every year. Over much of the past century the Grand National has steadily increased – although there have been some occasional reductions.
The reasons for these increases are mainly down to the popularity of the race and the availability of sponsors over the past four decades.
It means Grand National horses now compete for a £1million prize fund – an eye-watering figure compared to what the winners used to be paid.
Yet the Grand National isn’t even close to being the richest horse race on the planet. Here, Paddy Power explains the evolution of the Grand National prize money in our latest Demystifying Racing guide…
How big is the Grand National prize money?
The 2023 Grand National carries a prize purse of £1m. Of this, £561,300 will go to the winner. There will be 40 horses running at the Grand National in 2023 and only the top 10 finishers will earn any prize money. That means 75% of the field will go home with nothing.
WELCOME TO PADDY POWER NEWS!
History of Grand National prize money
The £1m purse was finally set back in 2014 when organisers raised the Grand National prize money up from £975,000. But of course the purse wasn’t always this high.
Back in the 1920s winning owners were given £5,000 in prize money – the equivalent of £300,000 today. That’s still a big windfall for the champion owners, and over the years the prize fund steadily grew.
In 1939 the prize fund hit £10,000 for the first time, and by 1958 it had risen to £14,000. A New York Times report from 1973 outlines how Red Rum secured $63,175 for his first Grand National victory – roughly two thirds of the overall pot.
In 1984 the Grand National got its first title sponsor: Seagram. And from here the prize money shot up. Between 1986 and 1987 the first prize amount rose from £57,254 to £64,000. In 1992 the total fund was £167,386 and the first prize skirting £100,000.
The £200,000 mark for the total purse was broken in 1995 and two years later it surpassed £300,000.
John Smith’s took over the title sponsorship in 2005 – a year where the fund rose to £700,000. However, a year later it actually fell to £689,360, and two years after that dropped to £450,640.
Thankfully for the industry there has only been one further drop since. In 2021 the Covid-19 pandemic meant no-one could attend the race, and thus prize money fell from £1m to £750,000. However, pot rose back to £1m in 2022 and is fixed for 2023 as well.
Pineau de Re ridden by Leighton Aspell was the first horse to win the Grand National after the prize purse hit £1m in 2014 (GETTY)
Where does the Grand National prize money come from?
The majority of Grand National prize money is generated from sponsors and ticket sales for the Grand National festival. More than £3m is handed out in prize money over the course of the festival, and naturally the main focus is on the Grand National pot.
Randox are the current sponsors and have an agreement in place to headline the Grand National until 2026. The deal is thought to be worth several million pounds. And thousands of racing betting fans but Grand National tickets every year – a money-spinner for Aintree, that’s for sure.
Is the Grand National the richest horse race in the world?
No – and not by a long shot. The richest event in world horse racing is the Saudi Cup, a £16.6m sprint over the Riyadh dirt with £8.3m available for the winner. The Dubai World Cup comes swiftly after the Saudi Cup in the horse racing calendar and has a £9.6m purse, while Australia’s newfangled race The Everest offers up £8.24m.
More historic races such as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (£3.8m), Japan Cup (£3.4m) and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (£2.2m) boast higher prize purses than the Grand National. Even America’s Pegasus World Cup offers more cash, despite its initial £9m purse being slashed to £2.5m in recent years.
2023 Grand National prize money
The prize money split for the 2023 Grand National is as follows…
- £561,300
- £211,100
- £105,500
- £52,700
- £26,500
- £13,200
- £6,800
- £3,600
- £2,000
- £1,000
- Why are there false starts in horse races like the Grand National?
- How many horses are there in the Grand National?
- Grand National prize money: How much does the Grand National winner get?
- 9 things to consider when picking a Grand National winner
- Grand National fence names and the stories behind every Aintree jump
- How high are Grand National fences at Aintree Racecourse?
- What are Grand National fences made of at Aintree Racecourse?
- Grand National fences: Order of jumps, total and which are taken twice
- Grand National weights: Why do horses carry different weights at Aintree?
- How many people usually attend the Grand National? What is Aintree’s capacity?
- What is the distance of the Grand National? How far do the horses run?
- How does a horse qualify for the Grand National?
- When did a horse last win the Grand National carrying top weight?
- Do Grand National reserve horses ever run in the race at Aintree?
- What does it mean when a horse is On the Bridle?
- What is a Black type horse race?
- What are the different types of going in horse racing?
- What is a bumper horse race?
- What are blinkers and why do some horses wear them?
- What is an Allowance Race in horse racing?
- What is the difference between hurdles and fences in National Hunt racing?
- What is a halter and why do some horses wear them?
- What does it mean when a horse has spread a plate?
- What is the Rule 4 betting rule in horse racing?
- What is the difference between graded, handicap and selling horse races?
- What does a novice hurdle in horse racing mean?
- What is a listed horse race?
- What does a novice chase in horse racing mean?
- Why do race horses have different ratings and what do they mean?
- When does the National Hunt season start and when does it end?
- Why are there different grades of horse race?
- Why are there 3 different types of National Hunt race?
- Why are race horses given different weights and what does it mean?
- How many different classes of horse race are there?
- What is a claiming race and what do they mean?
- What is an optional claimer in horse racing?
- What is a shadow roll and why do some race horses wear them?
- Why do some races start from stalls and some not?
- What is the difference between Derby and Oaks races?
- What does it mean when a horse knuckles during a horse race?
- What is a stayer in horse racing?
- What is a yearling horse and when are they ready to race?
- What does it mean if a horse has won a point race?
- What does a maiden mean in horse racing?
- How are horses’ ages calculated and why is it not the same as humans?
- What advantages do apprentice jockeys get when riding against professionals?
- What is a conditional jockey?
- What does the term ‘connections’ mean in horse racing?
- Why do some horses wear cheekpieces?
- Who are the stewards in horse racing?
- What does ‘weighed in’ mean at the end of a horse race?
- What is a nursery race?
- Why are some National Hunt races run without fences?
- Why are some horses given a tongue tie during races?
- What does it mean when a horse is ‘pushed out’?
- How are horse racing ratings calculated?
- What does it mean when a horse has a ‘wind operation’?
- How high are the fences and hurdles in horse racing?
- What is an apprentice jockey?
- What is a Bull Ring in horse racing?
- What does the phrase ‘Look of Eagles’ mean in horse racing?
- Why do some horses wear a ‘weight cloth’ during races?
- What is the Triple Crown in horse racing?
- What is a Steeplechase race in horse racing?
- How high are the Cheltenham Festival fences and hurdles?
- Why is the Champion Chase named after the Queen Mother?
- Why does Cheltenham racecourse have an Old Course and a New Course? What’s the differences between the two?
- What is the Cheltenham roar? What difference does it make in races?
- Why are there no jumps in the Cheltenham Festival Champion Bumper?
- How many fans usually attend the Cheltenham Festival? How big is the capacity?
- What is a juvenile in horse racing?
- What is a sire and a dam? Why is breeding so important in horse racing?
- What’s the difference between a colt, filly, gelding, stallion and mare?
- What does it mean when a horse goes to stud?
- What do horse racing commentators mean by sectional times?
- What is the Royal Procession at Royal Ascot? Which members of the Royal Family attend?
- How do they choose Epsom Derby stall numbers? Is there a draw bias?
- How long does it take horses to complete the Epsom Derby? How fast are the runners?
- What has happened to the Queen’s racehorses?
- What is a stewards’ enquiry in horse racing?
- What does it mean when a horse is exposed?
- What happens when there is a dead-heat in horse racing?
- What does the Clerk of the Course do in horse racing?
- What does schooling mean in horse racing?
- How are horses named and who approves them?
- Men must wear socks and other weird Royal Ascot dress codes
- Market movers: What is a market mover in horse racing?
- What is a Ladies’ Day in horse racing and why do they exist?
- Where’s the toilet and how much is a beer – Paddy’s guide to Cheltenham
- How many horse racing courses are there in the UK? Full list
- Top 8 most famous race horses of all time
- 8 of the best retired UK and Irish jockeys
LIKE PADDY POWER NEWS? OR MAYBE YOU JUST LIKE TO WHINGE? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK IN OUR READER SURVEY
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
