2026 race details

The 2026 2000 Guineas is scheduled for Saturday 2 May 2026 at Newmarket (Rowley Mile), the Saturday of the two-day Guineas Festival.

Detail	Value
Race date	Saturday 2 May 2026
Off time	TBA
Going	TBA
Field size
Distance	1 mile (straight)
Grade	Group 1 (Classic)
Prize fund	~£500,000

Trials and build-up

The road to the Guineas runs through four principal trials:

• Craven Stakes (Newmarket, mid-April) — Group 3 over 1m on the same Rowley Mile course. The most direct prep available — Craven winners have been Guineas favourites more times than any other trial.
• Greenham Stakes (Newbury, mid-April) — Group 3 over 7f. Typically preferred by horses who want a sharper pre-Guineas run.
• Gladness Stakes (Curragh, early April) — the Irish equivalent. Group 3 over 7f; produces strong Guineas form.
• European Free Handicap (Newmarket, mid-April) — a 1m handicap open to 3YOs; the handicap-based trial for colts who are officially handicapped high enough.

Five-day entries close around 27 April. Final declarations (48-hour) are published on Thursday of race week.

Ante-post markets

Guineas ante-post books are the earliest of the flat classics — they open in January after the juvenile (2YO) season concludes. Top 2YO form from Royal Ascot + Newmarket's autumn meetings usually dominates the antepost board. The 2YO Group 1s (Dewhurst Stakes, National Stakes, Racing Post Trophy) provide the strongest form lines. Each-way betting with 4 places standard; 5 places on non-runner-no-bet terms near the race.

History and notable winners

The 2000 Guineas was first run in 1809 — older than the Derby's sister race the Oaks (1779) by three decades, but after the Derby itself (1780). Named for the 2,000-guinea purse offered to the winner at the race's founding (a guinea = £1.05, so roughly £2,100 in pre-inflation terms — a major sum at the time).

Its sister race the 1000 Guineas (for 3YO fillies, 1 mile, same course) follows on the Sunday of the Guineas Festival.

The legends

Nijinsky (1970) won the 2000 Guineas on his way to the Triple Crown (Guineas + Derby + St Leger) — the last horse to achieve that feat. Nijinsky's dominance of the 1970 flat season remains the benchmark for 3-year-old colts.

Dancing Brave (1986) famously lost the Derby by a short head after his Guineas win — a reminder that even the strongest Guineas winner doesn't automatically translate to 1m 4f. He came back to win the Arc.

Frankel (2011) won the 2000 Guineas by six lengths as the overwhelming ante-post favourite — the most dominant Guineas performance of the modern era. He went on to retire unbeaten in 14 starts; his Guineas is widely cited as the single most impressive performance seen on the Rowley Mile.

Sea The Stars (2009) won the Guineas then won everything else at 3 — Derby, Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion, Arc. Six races, six wins. His Guineas was arguably the strongest performance of his unbeaten year.

Night of Thunder (2014) — a 40/1 shot — is the most recent big-priced Guineas winner, beating favourite Kingman. The race regularly produces outsiders who upset short-priced favourites.

Coroebus (2022) — Godolphin — and Chaldean (2023) — Juddmonte — are the modern era's classic-quality milers.

What wins the Guineas

The Rowley Mile course is the flattest straight mile in British flat racing — no camber, no turn. It rewards:

• Top-tier 2YO form — horses with G1 juvenile wins have the best strike rate
• Genuine 1-mile stamina — despite being "only" a mile, Newmarket's Dip can test horses who don't truly get the trip
• Ability to come off the pace — the pace is often strong; late-runners who can sustain a finishing effort past the final furlong pole often win
• Class at 7f + 1m — strictly miler-pedigreed horses; horses bred for sprint or 1m 2f rarely feature

Recent roll of honour

This section updates after each year's running — see /racing-news/ for the most recent race result article.

TV coverage and how to watch

The 2026 2000 Guineas is live on ITV1 (free-to-air in the UK).

UK terrestrial — ITV1 / ITVX

ITV Racing's Guineas Saturday coverage typically runs from 1:30pm on the Saturday of the Guineas Festival, carrying four races from Newmarket plus cross-course action from Thirsk or Goodwood. The 2000 Guineas itself is traditionally the fourth race on the card, off around 3:35pm; the exact off-time for 2026 is TBA once confirmed.

ITVX carries the coverage live and on demand after the event, free to UK viewers.

Racing TV

Racing TV carries the full two-day Guineas Festival (Saturday 2000 Guineas + Sunday 1000 Guineas, 14 races total) with extensive pre- and post-race analysis. For ante-post and form-analysis detail, Racing TV is the richer feed. Subscription or day-pass required.

Sky Sports Racing

Sky Sports Racing does not hold rights to the Guineas Festival — Newmarket's Rowley Mile is on Racing TV and ITV on this weekend. Sky Sports Racing will show the other Saturday fixtures (typically Thirsk, Hexham or Wincanton).

International

• Ireland: Racing TV (via UPC / Sky Ireland) or ITV if local rights apply. Irish ante-post punters follow Irish 2000 Guineas (Curragh, late May) form lines.
• US: NBC Sports and Racing TV's American feed carry the Guineas.
• Australia: Sky Thoroughbred Central carries selected UK classics.
• Japan: JRA Green Channel — the Guineas is watched closely by Japanese breeders.

Replays

ITVX (free) and Racing TV (subscriber archive) keep the race available on-demand. The Racing Post and ITV Racing's own YouTube channels post the race video within hours of the result.

Off-time reminders

Guineas Saturday runs on tight TV scheduling. Expect the advertised TBA to move by no more than 1–2 minutes unless a stalls-loading delay with a fractious classic contender intervenes.

Raceday at Newmarket (Guineas Saturday)

Getting there

Newmarket Racecourse (Rowley Mile) is at Rowley Mile, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0TF — in Suffolk, around 90 minutes by road from London and 30 minutes from Cambridge. The nearest station is Newmarket (Greater Anglia, 15 minutes' walk to the enclosure), with services from Cambridge and Ipswich.

Drivers: A14 to Newmarket; Junction 37 for the Rowley Mile course. Free on-course parking plus paid reserved options closer to the entrance.

The enclosures

Three main tickets for the Guineas Festival:

• Premier Enclosure — best viewing, covered seating, access to parade ring and winner's enclosure. Dress code applies.
• Grandstand & Paddock — main public enclosure with excellent rail views and paddock access.
• The July Course picnic area — closed for the Guineas Festival; races are on the Rowley Mile course only.

Guineas Saturday tickets are generally available well in advance through thejockeyclub.co.uk. Book by April to secure Premier Enclosure.

On the day

• Gates open around 11:00am.
• First race is usually 2:00pm.
• The 2000 Guineas is race 4 on the card, typically off around TBA.
• Parade ring is busy 30 minutes before each classic — the Guineas field is typically 12-16 runners.
• The Dip: Newmarket's famous descent two furlongs from home is the defining feature of the track. Watch how horses handle it — the dropping action can punish horses with a suspect action, but reward those who can change gear on the camber.

Dress code

Premier Enclosure: smart casual (collared shirt for men, no ripped jeans or sportswear). Grandstand & Paddock: no dress code — dress for early May weather. Newmarket in early May can be warm and sunny or blustery and cold — layered clothing with a light waterproof is the safe bet.

Food and drink

Multiple food outlets on-course including traditional British gastropubs, Rowley Mile restaurants, street-food traders, and premium hospitality packages. Bars across all enclosures.

Betting

Tote facilities and on-course bookmakers across all enclosures. ATMs on-site. Our bookmaker comparison guide covers online alternatives if you'd rather place from the stand via your phone. The Guineas Festival is one of the biggest flat-betting weekends of the year for ante-post and race-day combined.