1000 Guineas Facts

The 1000 Guineas is the second of the five British Classic races to be run each racing season. It’s raced the day after the 2000 Guineas, as part of a two-day festival now sponsored by the bookmaker Stan James and so known as the Stan James Guineas Festival.

1000 Guineas Prize Money

The first 1000 Guineas was raced in 1814 at Newmarket, for a prize of 1000 guineas. One guinea is roughly equal to £1.05 – so the prize on offer was a substantial one for the early 1800s.

Since 2001, the total prize fund for the 1000 Guineas has been equal to that for the 2000 Guineas. Currently, the prize money for each of the Guineas races in the Stan James Guineas Festival stands at a whopping £350,000.

For 2008, the Stan James Guineas Festival includes 14 races, with total prize money for all the races at over £1.15 million. 2008 is a special year for the festival – it marks the 200th running of the 2000 Guineas race.

1000 Guineas Legends

The inaugural 2000 Guineas in 1809 was won by Wizard, owned by Christopher Wilson, trained by Tom Perren and ridden by Bill Clift. In 1814, the same owner, trainer and jockey won the first ever 1000 Guineas, with a filly named Charlotte.

Racing legends who have won in the modern-day Guineas Festival include the likes of Nijinsky, Brigadier Gerard, Dancing Brave, Nashwan, Oh So Sharp, Pebbles and Miesque. Visit our 1000 Guineas records for more.

At the 2007 Stan James Guineas Festival, Finsceal Beo was added to the list of legendary winners, running the 1000 Guineas in the fastest ever recorded time.

To find out about ticket options for the 2008 Stan James Guineas Festival, visit our 1000 Guineas tickets page.

For live horse race betting we use William Hill, one of the world's largest betting companies.