The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a
Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
colts and
fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at
Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) and scheduled to take place each year at the start of May.
It is one of Britain's five
Classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
races, and at present it is the first to be run in the year. It also serves as the opening leg of the
Triple Crown, followed by the
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
and the
St Leger, although the feat of winning all three has been rarely attempted in recent decades.
History
The 2000 Guineas Stakes was first run on 18 April 1809, and it preceded the introduction of a version for fillies only, the
1000 Guineas Stakes, by five years. Both races were established by the
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...
under the direction of
Sir Charles Bunbury, who had earlier co-founded the Derby at
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...
. The races were named according to their original prize funds (a
guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
amounted to 21
shillings, so the original prize was £2,100).
By the mid-1860s, the 2000 Guineas was regarded as one of Britain's most prestigious races for three-year-olds. The five leading events for this age group, characterised by increasing distances as the season progressed, began to be known as "Classics". The concept was later adopted in many other countries.
European variations of the 2000 Guineas include the
Irish 2,000 Guineas, the
Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen, the
Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the
Premio Parioli. Elsewhere, variations include the
Australian Guineas and the
Satsuki Shō.
The 2000 Guineas is served by trial races such as the
Craven Stakes and the
Greenham Stakes, but for some horses it is the first race of the season. The 2000 Guineas itself can act as a
trial for the Derby, and the last horse to win both was
Camelot in 2012. The most recent 2000 Guineas participant to win the Derby was City Of Troy, placed ninth in 2024.
Since 2001, the 2000 Guineas and the 1000 Guineas Stakes have offered equal prize money. Each had a purse of £523,750 in 2019.
Records
Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
(9 wins):
*
Jem Robinson – ''Enamel (1825), Cadland (1828), Riddlesworth (1831), Clearwell (1833), Glencoe (1834), Ibrahim (1835), Bay Middleton (1836), Conyngham (1847), Flatcatcher (1848)''
----
Leading
trainer (10 wins) :
*
Aidan O'Brien – ''King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008), Camelot (2012), Gleneagles (2015), Churchill (2017), Saxon Warrior (2018), Magna Grecia (2019)''
Leading owner (11 wins):
''(includes part ownership)''
*
Sue Magnier
John Magnier (born 10 February 1948) is an Irish people, Irish business magnate. He is a leading thoroughbred stud (animal), stud owner and has extensive business interests outside the horse-breeding industry.
Magnier was a senator in the uppe ...
– ''Entrepreneur (1997), King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008), Camelot (2012), Gleneagles (2015), Churchill (2017), Saxon Warrior (2018), Magna Grecia (2019)''
* Fastest winning time –
Kameko (2020), 1m 34.72s
* Widest winning margin ''(since 1900)'' –
Tudor Minstrel (1947), 8 lengths
* Longest odds winner –
Rockavon (1961), 66/1
* Shortest odds winner –
St Frusquin (1896), 12/100
* Most runners – 28, in 1930
* Fewest runners – 2, in 1829 and 1830
Winners
† designates a
Triple Crown Winner.
‡ designates a
filly
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States
...
.
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
*
List of British flat horse races
References
* Paris-Turf:
**, , , , , , , , ,
*
Racing Post:
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , ,
----
galopp-sieger.de– ''2000 Guineas Stakes.''
horseracinghistory.co.uk – ''2000 Guineas.''
ifhaonline.org– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Two Thousand Guineas (2019).''
– ''Two Thousand Guineas Stakes.''
*
*
External links
* Race Recordings (1970-2004
youtube.com
{{authority control
Flat races in Great Britain
Newmarket Racecourse
Flat horse races for three-year-olds
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
Recurring sporting events established in 1809
1809 establishments in England