The 1000 Guineas (aka 1000 Guineas Stakes) is a 1 mile Group One race, run on the flat. It’s for three year old fillies and is one of the British Classics, a group of 5 races steeped in history, that are seen as the height of achievement in flat racing (1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby, St Leger Stakes). It’s also one of the three races that form part of the fillies triple crown (1,000 Guineas Stakes, Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes). Only a handful of fillies have ever won all three races.
The race takes place in late April or early May each year at Rowley Mile, Newmarket. It was first run in 1814, a few short years after the first 2000 Guineas took place. In less than 50 years it became the must watch and must win race for three year olds, and it’s a reputation that the race maintains to this very day. So much so that there are varients of the race all over the world, from the Irish 1000 Guineas, to the German 1000 Guineas and the Oka Sho in Japan.
The purse for the event is a sizeable £500,000, with almost £300,000 of that going to the winner. Many of racing’s big hitters have won the 1000 Guineas, in recent history the likes of the Aidan O’Brien trained Minding in 2016 and Bilesdon Brook in 2018. Unlike with some races, many of the records of this event such as top owner (4th Duke of Grafton) and jockey (George Fordham) go back 100+ years. This should be no suprise though considering the 1000 Guineas is over 200 years old!