Guineas Festival 2026: TV Guide, Race Times & How to Watch

Two days, six races each, with the Classic anchoring each card. Off-times below are indicative — the BHA confirms exact times in the days before the meeting.

Saturday 2 May — 2000 Guineas Day

First race: ~1:50pm BST. Last race: ~5:35pm BST.

Saturday's card is built around the 2000 Guineas, the season's first Classic and the championship race for three-year-old colts over a straight mile. The supporting card carries Listed and Group 3 races that have themselves become serious form pointers for later in the season.

Time	Race	Grade	Notes
~1:50pm	Opening maiden / handicap	—	Three-year-old maiden over 7f or 1m
~2:25pm	Palace House Stakes	Group 3	5f sprint — sets the tone for the day's pace
~3:00pm	Newmarket Stakes	Listed	1m1f for three-year-olds, often a Derby trial
~3:35pm	2000 Guineas	Group 1	1m straight — the headline Classic
~4:10pm	Pretty Polly Stakes	Listed	1m for three-year-old fillies — a 1000 Guineas trial in name only by this point
~4:45pm	Suffolk Stakes	Handicap	1m valuable handicap
~5:35pm	Closing handicap	Handicap	1m2f or longer to round out the card

The 2000 Guineas off-times around 3:35pm. ITV's main broadcast window covers from before the Palace House through to after the Suffolk Stakes — you'll see the full Classic build-up plus interviews live.

For the colts in the field and our take on the value, see our Guineas Festival 2026 preview.

Sunday 3 May — 1000 Guineas Day

First race: ~1:50pm BST. Last race: ~5:35pm BST.

Sunday is a similar shape but with the 1000 Guineas — the same straight-mile test for fillies — as the Group 1. The card includes the Dahlia Stakes (older fillies' mile, Group 2) and the Pretty Polly mile card structure varies slightly year to year.

Time	Race	Grade	Notes
~1:50pm	Opening maiden	—	Three-year-old fillies maiden
~2:25pm	Dahlia Stakes	Group 2	1m1f for fillies and mares 4yo+ — top middle-distance form
~3:00pm	Listed handicap	Listed	1m or 7f for older horses
~3:35pm	1000 Guineas	Group 1	1m straight — the fillies' Classic
~4:10pm	Newmarket Stakes day-2 supporting race	varies	Often a 7f handicap for older horses
~4:45pm	Three-year-old handicap	Handicap	7f or 1m, valuable prize
~5:35pm	Closing handicap	Handicap	Longer trip to finish the day

The 1000 Guineas off-times around 3:35pm, mirroring Saturday's slot. The interplay between the Dahlia (Group 2) earlier on the card and the Classic gives the morning pundits a richer run-up than Saturday — older-horse form often hints at the day's underfoot conditions.

If a filly emerges with a Classic-and-a-Group-2 daily double for a yard, watch the Royal Ascot ante-post markets that evening — the Coronation Stakes (Group 1, 1m, three-year-old fillies) is the natural follow-up at the Royal meeting six weeks later.

ITV Racing — both Classics live, free-to-air

ITV holds the UK terrestrial rights and broadcasts both Classics live and free. The main broadcast windows on ITV1 / ITV4 / ITVX are:

• Saturday 2 May — ITV4, approximately 1:30pm to 4:30pm BST. Covers the Palace House (Group 3), the Newmarket Stakes, the 2000 Guineas itself, and the Pretty Polly. Pre-race build-up, parade-ring shots, the race, replays, post-race interviews and the day's broader summary all included.
• Sunday 3 May — ITV4, approximately 1:30pm to 4:30pm BST. Same rough window — covers the Dahlia (Group 2), the 1000 Guineas, and the supporting Listed race.

ITV also has a strong tradition of cross-promoting these meetings on The Opening Show (ITV4, Saturday morning around 9:30am) — preview, interviews, ante-post tips. Worth catching live for the on-course paddock work and the morning trainer/jockey quotes.

ITV's coverage is presented by Ed Chamberlin with regular contributions from Francesca Cumani, Oli Bell, Matt Chapman, Jason Weaver and Luke Harvey. Replay coverage is on ITVX immediately after broadcast — useful if you missed a race or want to rewatch the Classic before the post-race interviews.

Racing TV — full card both days

Racing TV has every race on both days as part of its standard subscription. If you want the supporting handicaps and the Listed races that ITV doesn't carry — including the value angles into Royal Ascot — Racing TV is the home for that. UK subscription is around £29.98/month; the Racing TV Player streams on iOS, Android, fire TV and the web.

A useful split: ITV gives you the Classics for free, Racing TV gives you the rest of the card for the subscription. For most casual viewers the ITV broadcast is enough; for serious form students or anyone tracking trends across the supporting handicaps, Racing TV adds the depth.

Sky Sports Racing — not for Newmarket

Sky Sports Racing does not hold UK rights for Newmarket's Group 1 fixtures. Don't go looking — it's ITV and Racing TV only.

RTÉ Racing — limited

RTÉ does not broadcast the British Classics on terrestrial Irish television. Irish viewers should default to ITV4 (available on aerials in much of Ireland's east coast) or ITVX with a UK IP, plus Racing TV Ireland for the full card.

If you can't reach a TV, three online routes work for the Guineas Festival.

ITVX — the free option

ITVX is the simplest free route to both Classics. Stream the live ITV4 broadcast for free, with a UK IP address. The ITVX app works on iOS, Android, smart TVs (LG, Samsung, Hisense), Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV and via the web at itv.com/watch.

Replays go up on ITVX immediately after the live broadcast — handy if you missed a race or want to rewatch the Classic post-race interviews. Short race highlights also appear on ITV Racing's YouTube channel within a few hours of the race.

A UK IP is required: travelling Brits and Irish viewers without a UK aerial will need to either use a VPN or rely on the bookmaker streams below. (We don't endorse VPN use for getting around content licensing — check your provider's terms.)

Racing TV Player — full card with subscription

Racing TV streams every race on both days through the Racing TV Player. UK price is £29.98/month with a 14-day free trial; the player works on iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast and the web.

Racing TV is the route to take if you want the supporting handicaps and the morning preview shows. The Racing TV studio team — Lydia Hislop, Nick Luck, Robert Cooper and others — give a more form-heavy take than ITV's broader audience presentation.

Bookmaker streams — fund a small balance, watch on a phone

If you have a funded account with one of the big UK or Irish bookmakers, most carry the live Newmarket signal as part of their watch-live offering, often subject to a placed-bet condition or a minimum balance. Common providers include:

• Star Sports — funded account streams on web + app, full UK and Irish racing.
• Bet365 — placed bet from £0.50 generally unlocks the live stream.
• William Hill, Coral, Ladbrokes — broadly similar terms with their respective apps.
• Paddy Power — Ireland's option with ITV-grade coverage on its app.

Stream quality varies — phone coverage is generally fine, larger screens benefit from casting the bookmaker app to a Chromecast/Fire TV. Check your bookmaker's "watch live" page on the day for stream restrictions and the bet/balance threshold.

For our partner-by-partner comparison of stream availability and the Best Odds Guaranteed terms that affect ante-post Guineas bets, see our Guineas Festival 2026 betting offers comparison.

When does the 2000 Guineas off-time?

Approximately 3:35pm BST on Saturday 2 May 2026. Times are confirmed by the BHA in the days before the meeting; off-times can drift by 5–10 minutes on the day depending on parade-ring readiness and race schedule.

When does the 1000 Guineas off-time?

Approximately 3:35pm BST on Sunday 3 May 2026. Same slot as Saturday's Classic.

Is the Guineas Festival on free-to-air TV in the UK?

Yes. ITV4 and ITVX broadcast both Classics live and free, plus the headline supporting races. The ITV broadcast window on each day is roughly 1:30pm to 4:30pm BST.

How do I watch online without a TV?

Three options: ITVX (free, UK IP, simplest), Racing TV Player (paid subscription, full card both days), or a funded bookmaker account with watch-live (usually requires a placed bet or a minimum balance). For a side-by-side comparison of bookmaker stream availability, see our Guineas Festival 2026 betting offers comparison.

Can I watch from Ireland?

ITV4 is available on terrestrial aerials in much of east-coast Ireland; Virgin Media One does not carry Newmarket. Racing TV Ireland subscribers get the full card. Bookmakers regulated in Ireland (Paddy Power, Boylesports) carry live streams of Newmarket via their apps for funded customers.

Where can I find replays after the race?

ITVX carries the live broadcast as catch-up immediately after broadcast for around 30 days. Short highlight clips of each Group 1 typically appear on ITV Racing's YouTube channel within a few hours. The full race replay with commentary is also held on Racing TV's player for subscribers — useful for form-study.

What's the difference between the 2000 and the 1000 Guineas?

Both are Group 1 races over Newmarket's straight mile. The 2000 Guineas (Saturday) is for three-year-old colts and geldings; the 1000 Guineas (Sunday) is for three-year-old fillies. Together they're known as the "miler Classics" — the year's first championship races at championship-mile distance. Winners of both have historic rights to step up to 1m4f at Epsom for the Derby (colts) and Oaks (fillies) one month later.

When did the Guineas first run?

The 2000 Guineas dates from 1809 and the 1000 Guineas from 1814 — both invented by the Jockey Club at Newmarket and named after the prize-money structure of the original races (1,000 and 2,000 guineas to the winner respectively, vast sums in the early 19th century).