1,000 Guineas

The 1,000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May.

It is the second of Britain's five Classic races, and the first of two restricted to fillies. It can also serve as the opening leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown, followed by the Oaks and the St Leger, but the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted.

The 1,000 Guineas was first run on 28 April 1814, five years after the inaugural running of the equivalent race for both colts and fillies, the 2,000 Guineas.

The two races were established by the Jockey Club under the direction of Sir Charles Bunbury, who had earlier co-founded the Derby. They were named according to their original prize funds (a guinea amounted to 21 shillings, or £1.05).

By the mid-1860s, the 1,000 Guineas had become one of Britain's most prestigious races for three-year-olds. The five leading events for this age group, characterised by increasing distances as the season progressed, were now referred to as "Classics". The concept was later adopted in many other countries.

European variations of the 1,000 Guineas include the German 1,000 Guineas, the Irish 1,000 Guineas, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and the Premio Regina Elena. Other countries to have adopted the format include Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

The 1,000 Guineas is served by trial races such as the Nell Gwyn Stakes and the Fred Darling Stakes, but for some horses it is the first race of the season. The 1,000 Guineas itself can act as a trial for the Oaks, and the last horse to win both was Kazzia in 2002.

The prize money for the 1,000 Guineas has equalled that of the 2,000 Guineas since 2001. Each had a prize fund of £350,000 in 2011.