Making bank: Australia’s highest-earning racehorses revealed

Zoe Samios and James Thomson

Nov 1, 2024 – 3.42pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

You’d think that winning Australia’s richest horse race would guarantee your spot in horse racing royalty. But Bella Nipotina’s courageous win in the $20 million The Everest last month has not catapulted her onto racing’s version of the rich list.

The seven-year-old mare has won four Group 1 races and a staggering $18.8 million in prizemoney, the bulk of which was collected in The Everest. She’s now third on the list of all-time prize money earners, behind Winx but well ahead of the undefeated legend Black Caviar.

Zoe Samios covers wagering and the business of sport from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. She was previously the media and telecommunications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and covered media at The Australian.

James Thomson is senior Chanticleer columnist based in Melbourne. He was the Companies editor and editor of BRW Magazine.