Nashville Derby's $3 Million Purse Keeps Pulling Europe's Best

Since the Nashville Derby's purse climbed to $3 million in 2024, European-based runners have taken over its winner's circle. Bellum Justum (Ire), a son of the stallion Sea The Stars (Ire), has been part of that run, with Wimbledon Hawkeye joining in extending it. The bigger check has plainly given trainers across the Atlantic reason to point their three-year-olds toward Tennessee. For a race built on home soil, the money now speaks with a distinctly European accent.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.