How much will the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup earn? With the total prize fund a whopping £625,000… Everything you need to know from one of horse racing’s most prestigious event

One of horse racing’s biggest events, the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, kicks off this week with big money on offer.

The festival starts on Tuesday, March 12 and ends on Friday, March 15, when the penultimate race of the week is held.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the biggest race of the week and has one of the biggest prize pools in the sport.

Due to its prestige, the Gold Cup is known to give the careers of jockeys and trainers a huge boost if they manage to cross the finish line first.

However, it not only increases your status as a jockey or trainer, if you manage to take the top spot, owners and jockeys also walk away with a significant increase in the weight of their wallets.

Des Champs owner, Mrs. Audrey Turley, revealed that they pocketed a whopping £351,688 for taking home the top prize.

Des Champs, Mullins and Townsend will be hoping they can repeat last year’s success as they enter the race as strong favorites again this year.

Gold Cup 2024: Prize money

The 2024 Gold Cup has an astonishing prize pool of £625,000 ($800,000). However, this must be divided among the top five finishers.

The winner will take home approximately £351,688. This was revealed last year by the owner of Galopin Des Champ, Mrs. Audrey Turley.

Second place will win £132,500, third place will walk away with £66,312, fourth place will get £33,125 and fifth place will get £16,625.

The importance of the prize money makes the Gold Cup the most lucrative show jumping race in Britain and Ireland, apart from the Grand National.

How much money does the Gold Cup winning jockey make?

Owners and trainers walk away with most of the prize money, but jockeys do earn a small amount for the great rides they give their horses during the race.

The winning jockey typically takes home between eight and nine percent of the prize money. This means the winning Gold Cup jockey will take home around £50,000.

Jockeys who manage to secure a place also take home a small portion of the prize money, but this is typically only three to four percent of the total amount.

Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore burst onto the scene five years ago when she rode her first Cheltenham winner, since winning the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup with Honeysuckle

Gold Cup 2024: what you need to know

The 2024 Gold Cup will feature 16 horses, all competing for the winner’s prize of £625,000.

The prestigious race will be held on the final day of Cheltenham, Friday March 15 this year.

The race starts at 3.30pm UK time and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITV X in the UK.

Racing TV will also show every race of the week.

Mail Sport will also keep you up to date with all the latest racing action and results this week on our site.

There will be 16 horses and jockeys competing in this week’s Gold Cup race on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Participants in the Gold Cup

• Galopin Des Champs (J: TBC – T: WP Mullins)
• Fast or slow (J: TBC – T: Martin Brassil)
• Shishkin (J: TBC – T: Nicky Henderson)
• Gerrie Colombe (J: TBC – T: Gordon Elliott)
• L’Homme Presse (J: TBC – T: Venetia Williams)
• Braveman’s game (J: TBC – T: Paul Nicholls)
• Hewick (J: TBC – T: John Joseph Hanlon)
• Corach Rambler (J: TBC – T: Lucinda Russell)
• Gentleman’s game (J: TBC – T: MF Morris)
• Monkfish (J: TBC – T: WP Mullins)
• Nasalaam (J: TBC – T: Gary Moore)
• Protector (J: TBC – T: Dan Skelton)
• Ahoy Señor (J: TBC – T: Lucinda Russell)
• The real blowr (J: TBC – T: Patrick Neville)
• Jungle Boogie (J: TBC – T: Henry De Bromhead)
• Merged (J: TBC – T: Gordon Elliott)