Zac Purton is closing in a prize money milestone following the victory of Ka Ying Rising in The Everest at Randwick. (The Image is Everything – Bronwen Healy & Darren Tindale Photography)

Zac Purton’s historic success in The Everest aboard Ka Ying Rising has him on the precipice of becoming the first Australian jockey to bank $500 million in prize money.

The quite extraordinary stat sees the now Hong Kong-based Purton having claimed $497.3 million of prize money for his rides, needing another $2.7 million to mark a milestone only a few other global stars of the saddle have reached.

He took a giant step towards the half-a-billion mark thanks to the $20 million The Everest, of which Ka Ying Rising is credited with $7 million, taking the sprinter’s overall prize money to more than $20 million.

While the overall purse is split between the winning owners and the slot holders, the proportion of which depends on the original deal struck, Purton, as jockey, is still eligible for five per cent of first prize.

The $350,000 for his 68 seconds aboard Ka Ying Rising is his richest-ever race return, surpassing the $338,000 (or equivalent in HKD) he would have earned from his win aboard California Spangle in the 2022 Hong Kong Mile.

Jockeys in Hong Kong get 10 per cent of prize money if a horse should win, while 5 per cent for second through sixth. Purton’s runners have banked $439 million in Hong Kong, where he has had 1898 winners at a strike rate of 17.7 per cent.

In Australia, his runners have earned $48 million, with his biggest earning single race on “home soil” before Saturday being the 2023 Doncaster Mile, when Mr Brightside banked $2.44 million with Purton entitled to his $122,000 share.

Purton’s $497 million in overall prize money makes him by far the lucrative Australasian jockey. It is $155 million more than second-placed Hugh Bowman, who is on $342 million. James McDonald’s runners have earned $335 million across his career.

Next on the list is Craig Williams, whose runners have earned $309 million, while Damien Oliver, Australia’s top Group 1-winning jockey, has total prize money earnings of $260 million.

Globally, Purton’s prize money haul is also greater than that of Ryan Moore ($439 million), who has won over four times the number of Group 1 winners as Purton, and his former Hong Kong rival, Joao Moreira, whose converted earnings are just shy of $400 million.

The timing of currency conversions obviously plays a part when you are dealing with global records, but there are five American jockeys who have banked the equivalent of A$500 million, based on current exchange rates, in prize money.

They are John Velazquez (circa A$780 million), Javier Castellano (A$634m), Irad Ortiz Jnr (A$566m), Mike Smith (A$548m) and Joel Rosario (A$527 million).

The jockey with the most prize money banked across his career is Yutaka Take, with the Japanese legend’s runners now having won 98.9 billion yen, or just over A$1 billion. He is still riding Group 1 winners at age 56.

Contemporary Norihiro Yokayama has A$642 million of prize money alongside his name, while Yuichi Fukunaga has A$572 million and Masoyoshi Ebina A$515 million.

According to the best available records, globetrotting star Christophe Lemaire has A$677 million in prize money to his credit.

Given how he has hopped across the world over the past 30-odd years, Frankie Dettori’s overall record is also not completely clear, with comprehensive data only really existing since 2000. According to Racing and Sports, which is what we have used for the Australasian jockeys, Dettori’s prize money haul is $361 million. 

Going back to the leading Australasian jockeys, what is interesting is that Purton has significantly less Group 1 victories than McDonald, Oliver, Bowman and Williams. 

The relatively low number of Group 1 races in Hong Kong – 12 each year as compared to 76 in Australia – means Purton’s record of 48 elite victories is modest compared with Oliver (129), McDonald (120), Bowman (107) and Williams (86).

In terms of winning percentage among that quintet in Group 1 races, McDonald is a clear leader on 18.2 per cent, ahead of Purton on 15.3 per cent.

But Purton’s Everest win sees him join those other four as the only Australasian jockeys to have won over $100 million in prize money in Group 1 races.  

McDonald’s $161 million in Group 1s leads the way ahead of Bowman ($121 million), Williams ($118 million), while Purton is fourth ($103 million) and Oliver is fifth on $101.8 million.

Australasian jockeys with more than A$200 million in prize money

JockeyPrize moneyG1 winsZac Purton$497,263,75548Hugh Bowman$342,437,828107James McDonald$334,968,537120Craig Williams$309,074,44086Damien Oliver$260,498,631129Kerrin McEvoy$257,586,26085Nash Rawiller$215,168,32271Glen Boss$203,458,45690

Source: Racing And Sports