Established by The Jockey Club, formerly the regulator for the sport in the UK and now the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom owning 15 of Britain’s famous racecourses, the 2000 Guineas, for colts, first took place in 1809 in Newmarket, and much later in Ireland at The Curragh Racecourse in 1921.
The first Irish 1000 Guineas race, for fillies, was run at the Curragh in 1922. The 1000 and 2000 Guineas races are regarded as two of the most prestigious horse races in Ireland.
Homeless Songs gets a kiss from trainer Dermot Weld after their win in the 2022 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas (Group 1) \ Healy Racing
They kick off the Irish summer classics season, which also includes the Derby, Oaks and St Leger races which complete the big five, the most prestigious races in the flat racing calendar.
The ‘Classics’ form the bedrock of the Irish Flat Racing season and are the benchmark in which legends are made, comparable to Majors in golf and Grand Slams in tennis.
Prize funds
So how did the name of the race come about? A guinea used to be equivalent to 21 shillings when the races were first run in the early 1800s in England.
One guinea is the equivalent of £1.05, with both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas being named according to their original prize funds.
The 2000 Guineas is a flat race for three-year-old colts (male horses) at the end of May each year, over a distance of one mile. This race is also open to fillies (female horses), but their participation is very rare.
Meanwhile, the 1000 Guineas is run under the same conditions just for fillies on the same weekend, which takes place as part of the Tattersalls Guineas Festival which runs this year from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 May at the Curragh Racecourse in Co Kildare and is hugely popular for both racing fans and for families who like a fun day out.
Why are horses priced in guineas? Even when the guinea coin was no longer in circulation, it was widely used as a unit of account worth 21 shillings.
For the sale of racehorses at auction, bids are still conducted in guineas, with the purchaser paying the guinea-equivalent sum but the seller receiving just that number of pounds.
Traditionally, the difference (5p in each guinea) represents the auctioneer’s commission (which thus, effectively, amounts to 5 percent on top of the sales price free from commission).
So, it is said that horses still being sold in guineas is a gentleman’s way of saying, “Don’t forget to include my commission!”.
Further to the fun there is of course serious racing taking place and the weekend's action signals the first two of five Classic races in Ireland in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas with some of Europe’s fastest horses along with the top trainers and jockeys names in the sport \ The Curragh Racecourse
Further to the fun there is of course serious racing taking place, and the weekend’s action signals the first two of five classic races in Ireland in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas with some of Europe’s fastest horses along with the top trainers and jockeys names in the sport.
In a sport that was historically dominated by males, some high profile female trainers have had 1000 Guineas successes such as Jessica Harrington, who trained Alpha Centauri in 2018, and Frances Crowley who trained Saoire in 2005.
Whether you are a seasoned racegoer at the Curragh or you are thinking of going for the first time, you are guaranteed a first-class day out at this year’s Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival.
The Friday evening meeting will host the ultimate Abba party on 26 May, with racing, followed by the superb 70s tribute band Abbaesque.
Race goers are encouraged to come along in their best 70s and Abba costumes, with Irish Derby tickets up for grabs for the best dressed on the night.
Horse racing is a sport with a long history. While much has changed in racing throughout the years, the sport of kings preserves many customs which would otherwise be outdated.
As a consequence, race distances are still measured in furlongs, which interestingly used to be the length of a furrow in a one-acre ploughed field.
So, what is a guinea? Between 1663 and 1813, the United Kingdom manufactured gold coins known as guineas.
They derived from the Guinea area of West Africa, which supplied the bulk of the gold needed to manufacture the coins.
Established by The Jockey Club, formerly the regulator for the sport in the UK and now the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom owning 15 of Britain’s famous racecourses, the 2000 Guineas, for colts, first took place in 1809 in Newmarket, and much later in Ireland at The Curragh Racecourse in 1921.
The first Irish 1000 Guineas race, for fillies, was run at the Curragh in 1922. The 1000 and 2000 Guineas races are regarded as two of the most prestigious horse races in Ireland.
Homeless Songs gets a kiss from trainer Dermot Weld after their win in the 2022 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas (Group 1) \ Healy Racing
They kick off the Irish summer classics season, which also includes the Derby, Oaks and St Leger races which complete the big five, the most prestigious races in the flat racing calendar.
The ‘Classics’ form the bedrock of the Irish Flat Racing season and are the benchmark in which legends are made, comparable to Majors in golf and Grand Slams in tennis.
Prize funds
So how did the name of the race come about? A guinea used to be equivalent to 21 shillings when the races were first run in the early 1800s in England.
One guinea is the equivalent of £1.05, with both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas being named according to their original prize funds.
The 2000 Guineas is a flat race for three-year-old colts (male horses) at the end of May each year, over a distance of one mile. This race is also open to fillies (female horses), but their participation is very rare.
Meanwhile, the 1000 Guineas is run under the same conditions just for fillies on the same weekend, which takes place as part of the Tattersalls Guineas Festival which runs this year from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 May at the Curragh Racecourse in Co Kildare and is hugely popular for both racing fans and for families who like a fun day out.
Why are horses priced in guineas? Even when the guinea coin was no longer in circulation, it was widely used as a unit of account worth 21 shillings.
For the sale of racehorses at auction, bids are still conducted in guineas, with the purchaser paying the guinea-equivalent sum but the seller receiving just that number of pounds.
Traditionally, the difference (5p in each guinea) represents the auctioneer’s commission (which thus, effectively, amounts to 5 percent on top of the sales price free from commission).
So, it is said that horses still being sold in guineas is a gentleman’s way of saying, “Don’t forget to include my commission!”.
Further to the fun there is of course serious racing taking place and the weekend's action signals the first two of five Classic races in Ireland in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas with some of Europe’s fastest horses along with the top trainers and jockeys names in the sport \ The Curragh Racecourse
Further to the fun there is of course serious racing taking place, and the weekend’s action signals the first two of five classic races in Ireland in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas with some of Europe’s fastest horses along with the top trainers and jockeys names in the sport.
In a sport that was historically dominated by males, some high profile female trainers have had 1000 Guineas successes such as Jessica Harrington, who trained Alpha Centauri in 2018, and Frances Crowley who trained Saoire in 2005.
Whether you are a seasoned racegoer at the Curragh or you are thinking of going for the first time, you are guaranteed a first-class day out at this year’s Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival.
The Friday evening meeting will host the ultimate Abba party on 26 May, with racing, followed by the superb 70s tribute band Abbaesque.
Race goers are encouraged to come along in their best 70s and Abba costumes, with Irish Derby tickets up for grabs for the best dressed on the night.
Horse racing is a sport with a long history. While much has changed in racing throughout the years, the sport of kings preserves many customs which would otherwise be outdated.
As a consequence, race distances are still measured in furlongs, which interestingly used to be the length of a furrow in a one-acre ploughed field.
So, what is a guinea? Between 1663 and 1813, the United Kingdom manufactured gold coins known as guineas.
They derived from the Guinea area of West Africa, which supplied the bulk of the gold needed to manufacture the coins.
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