Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-04-26
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See the 2000 Guineas live hubThe Guineas Festival 2026 runs across Saturday 2 May and Sunday 3 May at Newmarket's Rowley Mile, opening the flat-racing Classics season with the 2000 Guineas on Saturday and the 1000 Guineas on Sunday. Both races are Group 1, both are run over a straight mile, and between them they crown the year's leading three-year-old colt and filly miler.
UK terrestrial coverage is ITV Racing, which broadcasts both Classics free-to-air on ITV and ITVX. Racing TV carries the full card on both days for subscribers — a richer experience for the supporting Listed and handicap races on either side of the Group 1 itself. Sky Sports Racing does not hold rights to Newmarket's Group 1 days.
This guide pulls together everything you need to plan a Guineas weekend in front of the TV — race-by-race off-times for both days, the ITV broadcast windows, the online streaming options that work in the UK and Ireland, and a short FAQ for the practical bits (timezones, replays, where to find the post-race interviews).
If you're still working out which horses to back, our Guineas Festival 2026 preview covers the contenders for both Classics with form lines from the trial races. For the betting side — sign-up offers, ante-post Best Odds Guaranteed, extra-place terms — see our Guineas Festival 2026 betting offers comparison.
All times in this guide are British Summer Time (BST), the same as Irish Standard Time at this point in the year. Off-times can shift by 5–10 minutes between the published racecard and the day itself — check declarations on the morning of racing for the final times.
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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.
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