The 1000 and 2000 Guineas

What is The Irish 1000 Guineas?

The Irish 1000 Guineas is a traditional flat-race that takes place at The Curragh in Ireland. The race is run over a distance of one mile and six furlongs on the turf, and it is open to 3-year-old fillies.

The Irish 1000 Guineas is one of the three major races held annually at The Curragh Racecourse. It's worth noting that the other two are the 2000 Guineas and 3000 Guineas, which are also for three year olds. This particular horse race has been running since 1881, making it 111 years older than its British cousin!

The Irish 1000 Guineas offers a purse of €400,000 (roughly $499,000) which makes it a very prestigious race. There are some restrictions on who can enter this race; for instance, horses must be registered with an Irish studbook and have been born in Ireland or France. However, there are no restrictions when it comes to jockeys or trainers--anyone can compete!

What is The Irish 2000 Guineas?

The Irish 2000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland for 3 year olds and up. It is run at The Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 6 furlongs on the dirt, and it offers a purse of €275,000.

The Irish 2000 Guineas is usually held on the first day of June. It is one of Ireland's top two races for three-year-olds, along with the Phoenix Stakes, which are run at Leopardstown Racecourse in October.

The race itself has been thrilling horse lovers since its inception in 1869; that's nearly 150 years worth of winning history! Horses from around the globe have come to compete in this historic race every year.

Horses have won more than £1 million (or $1.27 million USD) in prize money over the course of 150 years!

Famous Jockies

One of the most famous Jockies of all time is Lester Piggot, who was born on February 7th, 1919. His racing career started in 1938 and lasted until he retired in 1988. He rode in a total of 22,000 races and won 1583 of them. He also became the American Horseman's Association Champion Jockey for three consecutive years during his career.

Another famous jockey is George Woolf from Australia. He was one

of the most successful jockeys in Australian racing history with a total number

of 3,670 wins to his name!

Another notable jockey was Walter "the Younger" Wren, who won the 1000 Guineas in 1883. He also became champion jockey in 1889, 1890, and 1895. He's been immortalized in horse racing history books and has his name on the trophy for these races. His mount is still used to this day as well.

The Course and Distance

The 1000 and 2000 Guineas are run over a course of 7 furlongs (or 1.408 kilometers) on a Newmarket turf. The first break in the straight is called the "far-side" while the last break is called the "near-side".

The distance of 7 furlongs was chosen because it was deemed to be just enough to make horses exhausted, but not so much that they die during a race. That being said, these races are still challenging for any horse.

The course itself is also pretty simple; there are four sharp turns in the course that come up within a few hundred yards of each other, making it possible for horses to get boxed in if they don't have good positioning on the track.

Famous Winning Horses

There are many well-known horses that have won the Guineas. One of the most famous is Frankel. Frankel was a horse who had an amazing racing career.

Frankel won his first race in 2009 and went on to win 14 more races before retiring in 2012. Out of his 15 wins, he won 11 of them by at least 10 lengths! He has been called "the best horse in the world" by some experts. His career earnings were £2 million and he was one of the only three horses ever to win each of the three British Classic Races: 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas, and the Epsom Derby.