If you asked a non-horse racing fan to identify a horse race, chances are they would say the Gold Cup, the Grand National, or the King George VI Chase, all of which are National Hunt events. A race like the 2,000 Guineas or the Epsom Derby may be mentioned, but it’s unlikely. The classics aren’t as popular with the general public as jump racing, but they’re no less prestigious.
While there have been notable crossovers over the years, with horses such as Red Rum and Tiger Roll training as flat racing horses before going on to carve their names into the record books in the Grand National, the two sides of the profession don’t regularly overlap.
What are the Five Classics of British flat racing? The iconic five are the One thousand Guineas run over 1 mile at Newmarket on the Rowley Mile course, the 2000 Guinean Guineas Oaks also at Newmarket, and also over 1 mile, the Epsom Oaks over 1 mile 4 furlongs run at Epsom, the Derby run over 1 mile 4 furlongs at Epsom and the Doncaster St Leger run over one mile, six furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse.
The Five Classics of The British Flat Racing Season
- The One Thousand Guineas
The 1,000 Guineas, first raced in 1814, is a race open to three-year-old fillies. The weight limit for the race is nine stone and zero pounds, with the race lasting one mile on the straight. It should technically be second on our list since it is the second of the five races and takes place after the 2,000 Guineas. Both races were created by Sir Charles Bunbury.
The 1,000 Guineas was named for the top prize money available for winning horses, with a Guinea being the equivalent of twenty-one pence. By the 1860s, the race had become one of the most prestigious in the country, with European nations quickly developing their versions of the event before it was copied by countries such as Australia and Japan.
- The Two Thousand Guineas
The 2,000 Guineas, the first of the five Classics in terms of when it takes place throughout the calendar year, was raced for the first time on April 18, 1809. It is for three-year-olds but excludes geldings, and the weight is still nine stone and zero pounds.
In the event, which is contested on the straight over one mile, fillies are granted a three-pound allowance. The event, like the 1,000 Guineas, was organized by Sir Charles Bunbury for the Jockey Club and was named after the total prize money available for the winner.
- The Oaks of Epsom
The Epsom Oaks is a one-mile, four-furlongs, and six-yard race restricted to three-year-old fillies weighing nine stone and zero pounds. It is held every year in either May or June at Epsom Downs and is raced around the iconic Epsom left-handed track. The Oaks is the middle race of the Five Classics and is often known simply as “The Oaks.”
The Oaks takes its name from an estate near Epsom. The manor in issue was leased by the twelfth Earl of Derby, and the idea for the race arose at a banquet hosted by the Earl.
Following its inception in 1779, the race became one of the country’s most renowned for three-year-old fillies, with European countries, and even some far-flung nations, adopting their versions. During both World Wars, it was raced at Newmarket but reverted to Epsom thereafter.
- The Epsom Derby
The Epsom Derby, which is open to three-year-olds but excludes geldings, followed closely on the heels of the Epsom Oaks in 1780. The horses carry nine stone and zero pounds, like in the previous Classics, with fillies getting a three-pound allowance. It is raced over one mile, four furlongs, and six yards and is widely regarded as the most prestigious of the Classics, as well as the wealthiest event in Britain.
This event, together with the 2,000 Guineas and St Leger, is part of horse racing‘s so-called Triple Crown. Other premier races throughout the globe have adopted the moniker “Derby,” with the Kentucky Derby being the most well-known example. According to legend, the race received its name from a coin flip, with the Earl of Derby winning the call over Sir Charles Bunbury.
- The St. Leger
The only Classic held on a separate track from the others, the St Leger is a Group 1 race accessible to horses aged three and above, except geldings. It varies from other races in that horses must carry nine stone and one pound, while fillies still get a three-pound allowance. It is the oldest of the five Classic events, the inaugural running having taken place in 1776.
The event was conceived by Anthony St Leger, for whom it is called, and is the last leg of both the Triple Crown and the Fillies’ Triple Crown, together with the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks. Originally it was held over two miles, but currently is being run over one mile, six furlongs, and one hundred and fifteen yards. It, like the other Classics, has sparked the creation of comparable races all around the globe.
The Most Promising Classic Horses
When a punter looks at these five races, high profile, various distances and courses, and all run in one calendar year, it is not surprising that no horse has ever won all five Classics. Only two horses in the race’s history have come close, Sceptre winning four of the events outright in 1902 and Formosa winning three outright and dead-heating in the 2,000 Guineas in 1868.
The Five Classics
In reality, horses seldom strive to win all five races, particularly in the current age of modern racing. Instead, horses are more likely to aim to win the Flat Racing Triple Crown or the Fillies’ Triple Crown. Horses will come and go, but Horse Racing will always remain.
Punters, whether an amateur or a professional, will always want to place a bet. Whether they have analyzed a midweek racecard at a night meeting at Wolverhampton or the racecard of one of the Classics, placing a winning bet on one or more of the races will always be the main priority.