Group 1 race
2,000 Guineas Stakes
The Finish of the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket by Samuel Henry Alken (1810–1894)
Location	Rowley Mile Newmarket, England
Inaugurated	1809
Race type	Flat / Thoroughbred
Sponsor	QIPCO
Website	Newmarket
Race information
Distance	1 mile (1,609 metres)
Surface	Turf
Track	Straight
Qualification	Three-year-olds excluding geldings
Weight	9 st 0 lb Allowances 3 lb for fillies
Purse	£350,000 (2012) 1st: £213,513.13

Engraving of the 1874 2,000 Guineas, from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, May 1874

The 2,000 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[link]

The 2,000 Guineas was first run on 18 April 1809, and it preceded the introduction of a version for fillies only, the 1,000 Guineas, 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 2,000 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 2,000 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 2,000 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 2,000 Guineas itself can act as a trial for the Derby, and the last horse to win both was Sea the Stars in 2009.

Since 2001, the 2,000 Guineas and the 1,000 Guineas have offered equal prize money. Each had a purse of £350,000 in 2012.

Records[link]

Leading jockey (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 (7 wins):

• John Scott – Meteor (1842), Cotherstone (1843), Nunnykirk (1849), West Australian (1853), Fazzoletto (1856), The Wizard (1860), The Marquis (1862)

Leading owner (7 wins): (includes part ownership)

• Sue Magnier – Entrepreneur (1997), King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008), Camelot (2012)

• Fastest winning time – Mister Baileys (1994), 1m 35.08s
• 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[link]