The Most Expensive Kentucky Derby Horse: Fusaichi Pegasus

Fusaichi Pegasus became the most expensive Kentucky Derby horse and remains one of the most fascinating stories ever to come out of Churchill Downs.

Every spring, the Kentucky Derby brings together sport, spectacle, and ambition in a race that packs all the glamour of Thoroughbred racing into just two minutes. The 2026 edition runs on May 2. And few stories capture that world better than the rise of Fusaichi Pegasus.

Why Fusaichi Pegasus Is the Most Expensive Kentucky Derby Horse

After his Derby win, Fusaichi Pegasus was acquired for breeding in a deal reported at more than $70 million, an extraordinary figure for the time and far beyond the previous benchmark for a stallion prospect.

That is where his story stopped being only a racing story and became one about market value, prestige, and ambition. In an event known as “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” Fusaichi Pegasus proved that two minutes could send a horse’s value soaring to almost unimaginable heights.

That is why his name still comes up whenever people talk about the most expensive horse in history. Still, it is worth being precise: what makes him truly unique is his place in Kentucky Derby history and in the modern Thoroughbred market.

What Lottery Prize Would It Take to Buy a Horse Like This?

This is a world shaped by major businessmen, investors, and fortunes used to moving numbers far beyond the reach of almost anyone else. Buying a horse like Fusaichi Pegasus is not about a luxury splurge. It belongs to the realm of enormous wealth.

What kind of lottery prize would it take for something like that to stop feeling impossible?

Probably one of those life-changing jackpots that completely resets your sense of scale. A Mega Millions prize, for example. That is where a story like this stops being just another Derby anecdote and starts to connect with something more universal: the idea that a single number can completely change the way you see the world.

A multimillion-dollar horse is out of reach for most people. A Mega Millions ticket is not. Tonight, you can get yours on TuLotero.

And who knows… maybe this time, you will be the one starting to look at that world a little differently.