The QIPCO 2000 Guineas attracts the best UK, Irish and French three-year old milers around, not only for the ample prize money, but for the Classic status of the race itself.
The Group One race is run over a distance of one mile on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course on the opening day of the two-day Newmarket Guineas Festival.
While the 2000 Guineas is open to colts and fillies, usually only colts contest it as fillies find it difficult against the boys and they have their own same sex race the day after anyway.
Some horses are aimed at this race as part of a three pronged assault on the season long Triple Crown, which consists of the Guineas, Derby and St Leger.
It goes without saying that you need an exceptional horse to pick up all three races and you won’t be surprised to discover that Nijinsky was the last Triple Crown winner back in 1970 – that’s now some 52 years ago!
He was the NAP of the day in almost all of the daily newspapers too.
Notable winners of the 2000 Guineas include Camelot (2012), Frankel (2011), Sea The Stars (2009), Henrythenavigator (2008), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), King Of Kings (1998), Zafonic (1993), Nashwan (1989), Dancing Brave (1986), El Gran Senor (1984), Wollow (1976), Brigadier Gerard (1971), Nijinsky (1970), Sir Ivor (1968) and Tudor Minstrel (1947).
Well known jockeys to win the 2000 Guineas include Gordon Richards, Scobie Breasley, Edgar Britt, Lester Piggott, George Moore, Ron Hutchinson, Willie Carson, Steve Cauthen, Pat Eddery, Kieren Fallon, Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore.
Last years’ QIPCO 2000 Guineas was won by Poetic Flare (16/1) from Master Of The Seas (6/1) and Lucky Vega (12/1)
The top three quickest times for the Newmarket 2000 Guineas over the last 20 renewals are:
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2020 - Kameko (1:34.72)
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2007 - Cockney Rebel (1:35.28)
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2021 - Poetic Flare (1:35.69)
2000 Guineas Winners
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2021 - Poetic Flare (Kevin Manning / Jim Bolger) Time: 1:35.6
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2020 - Kameko (Oisin Murphy / Andrew Balding) Time: 01:34.7
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2019 - Magna Grecia (Donnacha O'Brien / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:36.8
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2018 - Saxon Warrior (Donnacha O'Brien / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:36.6
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2017 - Churchill (Ryan Moore / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:36.6
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2016 - Galileo Gold (Frankie Dettori / Hugo Palmer) Time: 01:35.9
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2015 - Gleneagles (Ryan Moore / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:37.6
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2014 - Night of Thunder (Kieren Fallon / Richard Hannon) Time: 01:36.6
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2013 - Dawn Approach (Kevin Manning / Jim Bolger) Time: 01:35.8
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2012 - Camelot (Joseph O'Brien / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:42.5
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2011 - Frankel (Tom Queally / Henry Cecil) Time: 01:37.3
2000 Guineas Statistics
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Age: The race is only open to three-year-olds.
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Price: 4/10 winners were the SP favourite, 5/10 came from the top three in the horse racing odds.
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Last Run: 8/10 winners won on their last run before the 2000 Guineas, 5/10 winners had their last run over 189 days ago
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4/10 winners ran in the Futurity Trophy (Doncaster) on their last run, 4 of the 4 won, 0 placed
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2/10 winners ran in the Dewhurst Stakes (Newmarket) on their last run, 2 of the 2 won, 0 placed
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2/10 winners ran in the Greenham Stakes (Newbury) on their last run, 1 of the 2 won, 1 placed.
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Course Form: 5/10 winners had at least 1 previous run at Newmarket, 2/10 had at least 1 previous win at Newmarket.
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Distance Form: 5/10 winners had at least one previous run over a mile, 4/10 winners had at least one previous win over a mile.
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Previous Flat Form: 10/10 winners had at least three previous flat runs, 10/10 winners had at least two previous flat wins.
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Rating: 8 winners had a rating of 110 or higher.
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Group Wins: 10/10 winners had at least one win in a Group 1-3 race, 7/10 winners had at least one previous win in a Group 1 race.
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Season Form: 4/10 winners had at least one run already that season, 2/10 winners had a previous win that season.
2000 Guineas Trainers Trends
Unsurprisingly Aidan O'Brien has trained the most 2000 Guineas winners throughout its history (10 in total): King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008), Camelot (2012), Gleneagles (2015), Churchill (2017), Saxon Warrior (2018), Magna Grecia (2019).
The only other trainer to have recorded multiple winners of the 2000 Guineas is Jim Bolger with two winners (2013 Dawn Approach, 2021 Poetic Flare).
On the cold list is Saeed bin Suroor who has saddled a total of 19 runners in the race without registering a single victory.
2000 Guineas Jockeys Trends
The two leading jockeys in the 2000 Guineas over the last 20 years are Ryan Moore and Kevin Manning who have both won the a couple of times each.
Ryan Moore’s winners have been with Gleneagles (2015) & Churchill (2017) while Kevin Manning winners have been with Dawn Approach (2013) & Poetic Flare (2021).
QIPCO 2000 Guineas Trial Races
The 2000 Guineas is now served by several trial races, including the Craven Stakes at Newmarket and the Greenham Stakes at Newbury, while the 2000 Guineas itself is a trial for the Derby at Epsom.
The last horse to win both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby in the same regular season was Camelot (Aidan O’Brien) in 2012.
For some additional in-depth insight into some of the Guineas trial races, be sure to check out some the excellent horse racing blogs that are out there.
Starting Prices
Just four favourites have obliged in the last ten years at odds of 15/8, 11/8, 4/1 and 6/4.
There was only one major shock in that time when in 2014, Night Of Thunder dumbfounded punters by scoring at odds of 40/1 in the betting for Kieron Fallon.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 12th April 2022
