Kentucky Derby Ticket Prices

2013

The average resale price for a ticket to the 2013 Kentucky Derby is $442.74, which is more or less in line with average prices seen in 2012. Last year, the average price of a Kentucky Derby ticket was about $10 higher at $452.59.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most expensive tickets at the Kentucky Derby are found in the "Millionaire's Row" section. Fans have paid upwards of $4,000 for tickets in that section for this weekend's races. Upper Clubhouse tickets right at the finish line (Sections 316/317) come in as the next most expensive, with tickets reselling in the $2,600 - $2,800 range.

In general, we've seen interesting patterns around how proximity to the finish line impacts prices for Kentucky Derby tickets. To sit at the finish line, it'll cost fans no less than $999 (for tickets in Section 117). But by moving just 3 sections down the grandstand, ticket prices fall by more half to $349 for tickets in Section 120). The cheapest seats in the lower grandstand, meanwhile, are found in the Grandstand sections furthest away from the finish line in Section 128. Seats in that section go for as little as $215.

For those that want to get onto the Churchill Downs grounds on the (relative) cheap, Infield Grandstand tickets start for as little as $61.

All of the latest information on prices and availability for Kentucky Derby tickets can be found on the SeatGeek event page for the race.

2012

2012 Kentucky Derby Ticket Prices
Tickets for the 2012 Kentucky Derby in Louisville last weekend were extremely hot this year: they went for an average price of $452.59 on secondary markets.
That means these tickets are only about $35 less than than the average price for an all session ticket to see Kentucky and Louisville play in the 2012 NCAA Final Four.
One of the most interesting things we saw in examining secondary ticket market prices for the Kentucky Derby was the premium that fans paid in order to sit near the finish line.
We looked at average prices for tickets at Churchill Downs on a section-by-section basis and found that the average grandstand seat between the 3/16th pole and the 1/8th pole cost $479 on average.
As you shift to seats from the 1/8th pole to the 1/16th pole, the average price goes up to $515. Moving to seats from the 1/16th pole to the finish line, average prices skyrocket to $1,044.

The highest price premium, however, goes for seats past the finish line, as those are selling for $1,250 on secondary markets.
The Kentucky Derby's average ticket price made it one of the most in-demand events across the country this month.
Right now, the Derby is the 4th most expensive event in May of any kind.
It ranks behind only the Mayweather-Cotto boxing match from Friday ($816) and a pair of concerts by boy band sensation One Direction at NYC's Beacon Theatre on May 26 ($573 and $533).
Since the beginning of the year, only 23 events have been more expensive than the Kentucky Derby. For context as to some of the top events on that list, Super Bowl XLVI is number one with an average ticket price of $2991.
Sandwiching the Kentucky Derby in terms of the most expensive tickets of 2012 so far are the NCAA Tournament strip at the Rose Garden in Portland ($452) and the Maryland vs. Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium ($438).
Out of Louisville's top attractions over the past year, the 2012 Kentucky Derby is most expensive. Only the 2012 NCAA Tournament games in Louisville come close. The all-session ticket for those games cost $420 on average.
All of SeatGeek's listings for the Kentucky Derby can be found here.