Queen's Horses Have Brought in Almost $9M

In horse racing, a bet on one of Queen Elizabeth II's horses is about as safe a bet as you can make. That's because the queen's steeds have raked in $8.9 million in winnings since 1988, with 451 victories in 2,815 runs for a 16% win percentage, according to the British Horseracing Authority. Almost 10% of that $8.8 million total came last year alone when the queen's horses pulled in a record $740,000 with 23 wins, reports the Telegraph. The animals have won almost $550,000 in 2017 with 20 wins, reports CNN.

Buckingham Palace says the distribution of winnings is "private," though the Telegraph reports most funds go to horse trainers. Despite the impressive total, however, horse racing isn't a profitable hobby, even for the queen. The Australian reports training for a single horse can cost up to $40,000 each year. This year, the Queen has 24 horses in starting gates. Even so, she failed to win her first Epsom Derby. It's the only race of five British Classic Races the queen has failed to win during her horses' racing tenure. (One of the queen's horses previously failed a drug test.)