Wikipedia

British Classic Races

TheBritish Classicsare five long-standingGroup 1horse racesrun during the traditionalflat racingseason.[1]They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own age group. As such, victory in any classic marks a horse as amongst the very best of a generation. Victory in two or even three of the series (a rare feat known as theTriple Crown) marks a horse as truly exceptional.

Sceptre,the only outright winner of four classics, painted byEmil Adam

Races

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The five British Classics are:

Race Date Distance Course First Run Qualification
2,000 Guineas Stakes Late April / early May 1 mile (1,609 m) Newmarket 1809 Three-year-old colts and fillies
1,000 Guineas Stakes Late April / early May 1 mile (1,609 m) Newmarket 1814 Three-year-old fillies
The Oaks Late May / early June 1 mile 4furlongs10 yd (2,423 m) Epsom Downs 1779 Three-year-old fillies
The Derby First Saturday in June 1 mile 4furlongs10 yd (2,423 m) Epsom Downs 1780 Three-year-old colts and fillies
St Leger Stakes September 1 mile 6furlongs132 yd (2,937 m) Doncaster 1776 Three-year-old colts and fillies

It is common to think of them as taking place in threelegs.

The first leg is made up of the Newmarket Classics –1000 Guineasand2000 Guineas.Given that the 1,000 Guineas is restricted tofillies,this is regarded as the fillies' classic and the 2,000, which is open to both sexes, as thecolts'classic, although it is theoretically possible for a filly to compete in both.

The second leg is made up ofThe Derbyand/orOaks,both ridden over1+1⁄2miles atEpsomin early June. The Oaks is regarded as the fillies' classic, the Derby as the colts', although, as with the Guineas, a filly could theoretically contest both.

The final leg is theSt Leger,held over 1 mile6+1⁄2furlongs atDoncasterand is open to both sexes.

The variety of distances and racecourses faced in the Classics make them particularly challenging as a series to even the best horses. It is rare for a horse to possess both the speed and stamina to compete across all these distances, making the Triple Crown a particularly notable achievement. In fact, in the modern era, it is rare for any attempt on the Triple Crown to be made.

Geldingsare excluded from the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger, in common with all EuropeanGroup Oneraces restricted to three-year-olds.

History

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The oldest race in the series, the St Leger, was first run in 1776. The races were designated "classics" in 1815,[2]shortly after the first 1,000 Guineas Stakes.

Multiple winners

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(see alsoTriple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing)

Nijinsky, the last winner of the Triple Crown in 1970

In 1902Sceptrebecame the only racehorse to win four British Classic Races outright, winning both Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger. Previously, in 1868, Formosa won the same four races but dead-heated in the2,000 Guineas.[3]

Fifteen horses have won the standard Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas – Derby – St Leger), the last beingNijinskyin 1970. Three of these achieved the feat during the World War I when all five Classic races were run at Newmarket.

In addition to Sceptre and Formosa above, eight horses have won the fillies' Triple Crown (1,000 Guineas – Oaks – St Leger), the last beingOh So Sharpin 1985.

Many horses have won two classics, some of whom have gone on to attempt the Triple Crown, losing in the last leg at Doncaster. The most recent example of this was theAidan O'BrientrainedCamelot,who finished second in the St Leger in 2012 after winning the 2,000 Guineas and Derby.

Four-time

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Three-time

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Two-time

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Records

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Most wins as a horse

  • Sceptre – 4 wins (1902)

Most wins as a jockey

Most wins as a trainer

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Glossary".National Horseracing Museum.Retrieved8 April2013.
  2. ^"The History of Horse Racing".Equine World.Retrieved8 April2013.
  3. ^Thoroughbred Heritage: Sceptre.Retrieved 13 September 2010
  4. ^"Famous Jockeys".Racing-Insider.3 September 2013.Retrieved7 April2018.
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