THE world’s highest-earning jockey has set a new record for cash made in a season – but he only gets to keep a fraction.
Irad Ortiz Jr’s rides banked a whopping £30.3million on racecourses in the US this season.
That is a single-season record for a rider in the States, eclipsing Ortiz’s own mark of £29.9m in 2019.
But it was the owners of the horses who benefited the most from his success on the track.
A jockey will only keep a percentage of the winnings from a race, varying from around seven per cent to ten per cent.
Even so, Ortiz’s bank manager will be happy with his income from earnings alone almost certainly near the £3m mark.
This aside from all the usual riding fees and any retainers he will have with owners and trainers.
Some of Oritz’s biggest wins came in last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup.
Victory on the William Mott-trained Elite Power in the Sprint was worth £770,000.
While Goodnight Olive’s Filly & Mare Sprint win was worth £385,000 and Foret’s Juvenile triumph another £777,000.
From those three rides alone Ortiz could have pocketed as much as £200,000 for a few minutes’ work.
Although he will want to forget flopping completely on huge Turf Sprint favourite Golden Pal.
For comparison, according to the Professional Jockeys Association, British champion rider William Buick’s total prize money for this season was just under £6m.
The Godolphin-retained jockey, who banged in his own big winners at the Breeders’ Cup in the US, earned £5,943,784 domestically.
But his worldwide tally is much higher and could rival Ortiz’s £30m mark with all rides taken into account.
The world’s highest-earning jockey throughout history is believed to be Japan’s Yutaka Take.
The 53-year-old veteran is thought to have made around £600m for various owners and trainers during his decades in the saddle.
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