The Highest-earning Thoroughbred Racehorses of All Time

While most people in the world can only dream of becoming millionaires, some racehorses manage it pretty easily. Out of the top forty highest-earning thoroughbreds of all time, even Narita Brian in last-place earned over £5,000,000 in career earnings. But who are the highest-earners of all time? Here is a look at the top five.

5. Orfevre

Orfevre is a distinctive-looking chestnut horse with a white blaze that almost gives the horse a golden glimmer when he runs. Presumably, that is why he was called Orfevre, which is French for “goldsmith”. The retired Japanese thoroughbred won the Japanese Triple Crown in 2011, which paved the way for him becoming the Japanese Horse of the Year. In 2012, Orfevre was narrowly beaten in the Japan Cup and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but he managed to be the victor of both the Prix Foy and the Takarazuka Kinen. He won the Prix Foy again in 2013. Over the course of his career, Orfevre earned £12,275,482 in prize money, which is only slightly short of the world’s fourth highest-earning thoroughbred, Gentildonna, who was also bred in Japan.

4. Gentildonna

After winning the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown in 2012, the thoroughbred racehorse Gentildonna was voted the Japanese Horse of the Year. She went on to become Japan’s highest-earning racehorse of all time. As a three-year-old, Gentildonna was the first of her age group to win the Japan Cup, but her success did not end there. She won the cup the following year, making her the first two-time winner of the race. After being victorious at the Arima Kinen and the Dubai Sheema Classic in 2014, Gentildonna was named Horse of the Year once again. Now retired, the thoroughbred earned £12,285,608 over her career. If all this horse-talk is making you think about upcoming races, check out Casumo Sportsbook to keep up-to-date with all the latest news and action about horseracing and all other major sports. And with Casumo odds, you can quickly and easily find out the latest betting options.

3. Thunder Snow

The Irish-bred Thunder Snow came to prominence in 2016 after coming second in both the Champagne Stakes and the Vintage Stakes. But his best performance of the year was when he became victorious in France’s Criterium International. By the end of 2016, Thunder Snow was rated the best two-year-old in Britain. Most of all, Thunder Snow is known for being the only twotime winner of the Dubai World Cup, which he achieved in 2018 and 2019. His reported earnings so far amount to a whopping £12,671,800, making him the third highest-earning racehorse of all time.

2. Arrogate

The grey horse Arrogate was bred in Kentucky in the United States. When he was a yearling, Arrogate was bought by Juddmonte Farms, which is the racing operation of Khalid ibn Abdullah, for $560,000 (USD), which is about £429,000. The colt proved to be an excellent investment. By the end of his career, he had earned a reported £13,671,322! In his first appearance at the 2016 Travers Stakes, he won effortlessly. Arrogate then went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and became 2016’s World’s Best Racehorse. He continued his career in fine spirit. In 2017, Arrogate won the 2017 Pegasus World Cup with a new track record. That was followed by winning the Dubai World Cup. Although Arrogate has only four stakes wins to his name, the high prize money helped to make him the all-time highest-earning North American racehorse.

1. Winx

The retired Australian thoroughbred Winx earned a staggering £14,564,743 during her racing career. It is easy to see how she managed to accomplish such a feat when you look at her achievements. Between 2015 and 2019, Winx won 33 consecutive races, including a world record 25 Group 1s. In 2016, the champion horse was both the top-ranking filly or mare and the highest-ranking turf horse in the world. She remained the top-ranking filly or mare in both 2017 and 2018, and in both years, she co-ranked first as the best turf horse. In 2018, Winx was rightly inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, becoming only the third horse to gain that honour whilst still in training.