Irish 2,000 Guineas

The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.

History

The event was established in 1921, a year before the launch of the Irish 1,000 Guineas. The inaugural running was won by Soldennis.

It is Ireland's equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas, and in recent years it has taken place three weeks after that race. The field usually includes horses which previously contested the English version, and eight have achieved victory in both events. The first was Right Tack in 1969, and the most recent was Gleneagles in 2015.

The leading horses from the Irish 2,000 Guineas often go on to compete in the following month's St. James's Palace Stakes. The last to win both races was Gleneagles in 2015.

Records

Leading jockey (5 wins):

2000 Guineas Stakes

The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse 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 it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May.

It is one of Britain's five Classic 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 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 under the direction of Sir Charles Bunbury, who had earlier co-founded the Derby at Epsom. The races were named according to their original prize funds (a guinea amounted to 21 shillings, or £1.05).

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.