The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own age group. As such, victory in any classic marks a horse as amongst the very best of a generation. Victory in two or even three of the series (a rare feat known as the Triple Crown) marks a horse as truly exceptional.

Races

The five British Classics are: It is common to think of them as taking place in three legs. The first leg is made up of the Newmarket Classics –

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

. Given that the 1,000 Guineas is restricted to fillies, this is regarded as the fillies' classic and the 2,000, which is open to both sexes, as the colts' classic, although it is theoretically possible for a filly to compete in both. The second leg is made up of The Derby and/or Oaks, both ridden over miles at Epsom in early June. The Oaks is regarded as the fillies' classic, the Derby as the colts', although, as with the Guineas, a filly could theoretically contest both. The final leg is the St Leger, held over 1 mile furlongs at Doncaster and is open to both sexes. The variety of distances and racecourses faced in the Classics make them particularly challenging as a series to even the best horses. It is rare for a horse to possess both the speed and stamina to compete across all these distances, making the Triple Crown a particularly notable achievement. In fact, in the modern era, it is rare for any attempt on the Triple Crown to be made.

Gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

s are excluded from the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger, in common with all European

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

races restricted to three-year-olds.

History

Although the oldest race in the series, the St Leger, was first run 1776, the races were not designated "classics" until 1815, shortly after the first running of the 1,000 Guineas.

Multiple classic winners

(see also Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing) NijinskyII

In 1902 Sceptre became the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright, winning both Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger. Previously, in 1868, Formosa won the same four races but dead-heated in the

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

.Thoroughbred Heritage: Sceptre
Retrieved 13 September 2010 Fifteen horses have won the standard Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas – Derby – St Leger), the last being Nijinsky in 1970. Three of these achieved the feat during the World War I when all five Classic races were run at Newmarket. In addition to Sceptre and Formosa above, eight horses have won the fillies' Triple Crown (1,000 Guineas – Oaks – St Leger), the last being Oh So Sharp in 1985. Many horses have won two classics, some of whom have gone on to attempt the Triple Crown, losing in the last leg at Doncaster. The most recent example of this was the Aidan O'Brien trained Camelot, who finished second in the St Leger in 2012 after winning the 2,000 Guineas and Derby.

Four classic wins

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territorie ...

1868 * Sceptre 1902

Three classic wins

* Crucifix 1840 * West Australian 1853 * Gladiateur 1865 *

Lord Lyon The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...

1866 *

Hannah Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a famil ...

1871 *

Apology Apology, The Apology, apologize/apologise, apologist, apologetics, or apologetic may refer to: Common uses * Apology (act), an expression of remorse or regret * Apologia, a formal defense of an opinion, position, or action Arts, entertainment, ...

1874 * Ormonde 1886 *

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

1891 *

La Fleche LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...

1892 * Isinglass 1893 * Galtee More 1897 * Flying Fox 1899 * Diamond Jubilee 1900 * Rock Sand 1903 * Pretty Polly 1904 *

Pommern Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

1915 *

Gay Crusader Gay Crusader (1914–1932) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won a wartime version of the English Triple Crown in 1917. In a career which lasted from September 1916 and October 1917 he ran ten times and won eight races, includin ...

1917 * Gainsborough 1918 *

Bahram Bahrām ( fa, بهرام) is a male given name. Other variants Behram, Bahran, Vahran, and Vahram ( uz, Баҳром, Bahrom and Tajik: Баҳром, Bahrom) The older form is Vahrām ( pal, 𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭, in la, Varrames), also spell ...

1935 *

Sun Chariot A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

1942 * Meld 1955 * Nijinsky 1970 * Oh So Sharp 1985

Two classic wins

* Champion (1800) * Eleanor (1801) * Smolensko (1813) * Neva (1817) * Corinne (1818) * Pastille (1822) * Zinc (1823) * Cobweb (1824) * Cadland (1828) *

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most notabl ...

(1832) *

Queen of Trumps Queen of Trumps (1832–1843) was a British thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks and St Leger Stakes in 1835, becoming the first horse to win both races. In a racing career which lasted from October 18 ...

(1835) * Bay Middleton (1836) * Cotherstone (1843) *

Mendicant A mendicant (from la, mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many inst ...

(1846) * Sir Tatton Sykes (1846) *

Surplice A surplice (; Late Latin ''superpelliceum'', from ''super'', "over" and ''pellicia'', "fur garment") is a liturgical vestment of Western Christianity. The surplice is in the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to the kne ...

(1848) * The Flying Dutchman (1849) * Voltigeur (1850) *

Stockwell Stockwell is a district in south west London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. It is situated south of Charing Cross. Battersea, Brixton, Clapham, South Lambeth, Oval and Kennington all border Stockwell. History The na ...

(1852) *

Blink Bonny Blink Bonny (1854–1862) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career that lasted from 1856 to 1858, she ran twenty times and won fourteen races. She was the leading British two-year-old of 1856, when she won eight races ...

(1857) * Imperieuse (1857) *

Governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

(1858) *

The Marquis The Marquis (1859 – October 1886) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. After retiring from racing he became a successful stallion in Australia. Background The Marquis was a bay colt foaled in 1859 and sired by Stockwell. His dam was Cin ...

(1862) *

Macaroni Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines ...

(1863) * Blair Athol (1864) *

Achievement Achievement may refer to: *Achievement (heraldry) *Achievement (horse), a racehorse *Achievement (video gaming), a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters See also * Achievement test for student assessment * Achiever, a personality type ...

(1867) * Pretender (1869) * Reine (1872) *

Marie Stuart Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart may refer to: People *Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (before 1428–1465), fifth daughter of James I of Scotland, 1st Countess of Buchan *Mary of Guelders (c. 1434–1463), queen to James II of Scotland *Mary Stewart, ...

(1873) *

Spinaway Spinaway (foaled 1878 at Erdenheim Farm, Erdenheim Stud Farm near Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American Thoroughbred filly for whom the Graded stakes race, Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga ...

(1875) * Camelia (1876) * Petrarch (1876) *

Silvio Silvio () is an Italian male name, the male equivalent of Silvia. Sílvio is a variant of the name in Portuguese. It is derived from the Latin "Silvius", meaning "spirit of the wood," and may refer to: People * Silvio Berlusconi (born 1936), Itali ...

(1877) * Jannette (1878) * Pilgrimage (1878) * Wheel of Fortune (1879) * Iroquois (1881) * Thebais (1881) * Shotover (1882) * Busybody (1884) * Melton (1885) * Miss Jummy (1886) *

Reve d'Or Reve d'Or (1884 – after 1904) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won two British Classic Races in 1887. She ran nine times as a juvenile in 1886, winning three races including an upset victory in the Dewhurst Plate in O ...

(1887) *

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

(1888) *

Seabreeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breeze ...

(1888) *

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

(1889) * Memoir (1890) *

Mimi Mimi or MIMI may refer to: People * Mimi (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Constantin Mimi (1868–1935), Bessarabian politician and winemaker * Mimi (footballer, born 1996), Bissau Guinean footballer * Mohanad Ali (born 2 ...

(1891) * Amiable (1894) * Ladas (1894) *

Sir Visto Sir Visto (1892–1914) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. In a career that lasted from 1894 to 1896 he ran thirteen times and won three races. As a three-year-old in the 1895 he won both Epsom Derby, ...

(1895) * Persimmon (1896) * St Amant (1904) *

Cherry Lass Cherry Lass (1902–1914), was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won two British Classic Races in 1905. In a racing career which lasted from summer 1904 until October 1905 she ran fifteen times and won nine races. As a three ...

(1905) * Signorinetta (1908) *

Minoru Minoru is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Minoru Arakawa (荒川實, born 1946), Japanese former president of Nintendo of America *Minoru Chiaki (千秋実, 1917–1999), Japanese actor *Minoru Fujita (� ...

(1909) *

Sunstar ''SunStar'' (also written as ''Sun Star''), stylized as SUNSTAR (formerly SUN•STAR), is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. The newspaper is based in Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sug ...

(1911) * Tagalie (1912) *

Jest A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

(1913) *

Princess Dorrie Princess Dorrie (1911 – 1927) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. As a two-year-old in 1913 she failed to win a race but was very consistent, finishing placed in seven of her eight starts. In the following year she was prob ...

(1914) * Fifinella (1916) * Tranquil (1923) * Manna (1925) *

Saucy Sue {{Short pages monitor