What is a Classic? British Classic races explained

A vital part of the Flat racing calendar, the Classics are some of the most valuable and prestigious races throughout the season. Winning them is very important to the sport as a whole because colts and fillies instantly become more valuable at stud. 

These races are as valuable to the sport of horse racing as the majors are in sports such as golf or tennis and are vital in ensuring the longevity of racing. 

Here we explain what the Classics are, where they are run and what happens if a horse wins three of them.

What is a Classic?

A Classic is one of a set of five Group 1 races throughout the season which are open only to three-year-olds and are some of the most historic and well known events in the world. They have been collectively referred to as the Classics since 1815.

These races help to establish the best horses of the generation and winning a Classic greatly increases a horse's status. It’s worth noting that there are other Group 1s open exclusively to three-year-olds but there are only five which are considered to be Classics.

Run over various distances, the first two of the season are run over a mile on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, with the next two run over 1m4f at Epsom Downs and the final one takes place at Doncaster over an extended 1m6f towards the end of the season in September. 

The Classics - 2000 Guineas

First up is the 2000 Guineas and the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. The former is exclusively for colts and fillies, although you don’t tend to get too many fillies running in it as they have their own version, the 1000 Guineas, in which colts aren’t allowed to run. The colts’ version was first run in 1809 and the fillies only race was established five years later.

Run over a mile, many winners of the 2000 Guineas go on to compete in races like the St. James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes or the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. 

The Great Frankel is probably the most famous winner of the 2000 Guineas in the last couple of decades. This Henry Cecil-trained colt won by a wide margin and went on to become one of the all-time greats, remaining unbeaten throughout his career.

Gem Robinson holds the record for most 2000 Guineas wins for a jockey, with nine successes between 1825 and 1848. Aidan O’Brien holds the record for trainers with his 10 victories and he should be adding to that before he heads into retirement.

The Classics - 1000 Guineas

The 1000 Guineas was first run in 1814 and some truly iconic fillies have won this race over the years. Winners tend to run in races like the Coronation Stakes, Matron Stakes or Falmouth Stakes if sticking to a mile and not going up or down in trip afterwards.

Oh So Sharp, Minding and Winter and Finsceal Beo are some of the most successful winners of the race. The first filly in that list is perhaps the most significant, as she landed the Triple Crown in 1985, which you can find out more about later.

Jockey George Fordham won the 1000 Guineas seven times between 1859 and 1883 and that record stands to this day. Robert Robson is the race’s winning-most trainer to date with nine successes which all came in a short period between 1818 and 1827.

The Classics - Derby

We head to the Epsom Downs in Surrey for the next British Classics of the season and the Oaks and the Derby are the ultimate test of a racehorse. The undulating track does its best to unbalance horses so those who can come out on top have truly earned the right.

Aristocrat and leading owner/breeder Sir Charles Bunbury played a key role in the establishment of the Derby, as well as the 2000 Guineas, and the race was first run in 1780. Run over 1m4f, the best middle-distance three-year-olds get to take each other on.

Legendary jockey Lester Piggott won the race nine times during a stellar career and will always be associated with the Derby. Aidan O’Brien makes another appearance, winning it a whopping 12 times in total, including each of the last four renewals.

Shergar is probably the most iconic Derby winner and he still holds the record for the widest margin win. Galileo went on to become arguably the greatest sire of all time after winning in 2001 and Sea The Stars’ 2009 success catapulted him onto an excellent career.

The Classics - Oaks

Epsom’s Oaks is only open to three-year-old fillies and is actually a year older than the Derby, which is considered to be the more iconic of the two. It’s named after an estate to the east of Epsom which was leased to the Earl Of Derby, who owned the first ever winner.

The 1000 Guineas tends to be a useful trial for the Oaks, in the same way that the 2000 Guineas is for the Derby, and the winners usually go on to be successful and valuable brood mares. 

Trainer Robert Robson won the Oaks 13 times between 1802 and 1825 and that record will surely take some beating. Jockey Frank Buckle holds the record for riders, landing it nine times between 1797 and 1823.

Henry Cecil’s Oh So Sharp landed the race in 1985, and the Ed Dunlop-trained mare Ouija Board was a very classy winner in 2004. It’s interesting to note that she also produced a Derby winner, with her son Australia landing the big one in 2014.

The Classics - St Leger

Doncaster racecourse’s flagship race is the oldest of the Classics and it was established in 1776, three years before the Oaks. It’s named after an army officer and politician who lived in Doncaster and was initially run over two miles, but the trip has been reduced since.

This race is one for the stayers and winners tend to go on and compete in the next season’s cup races, including the 2m4f Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Trainer John Scott won it 16 times between 1827 and 1862, whilst jockey Bill Scott rode the winner nine times.

Nijinsky would probably be the most famous St Leger winner, whilst Champion became the first horse to win the Derby and St Leger double in 1800. Don’t forget about Oh So Sharp either, as she completed her Triple Crown victory in this race.

The ‘Triple Crown’

Probably the most difficult feat to achieve in the sport, if a horse can win the Guineas over a mile, the Derby or Oaks at Epsom and the St Leger at Doncaster, they become a Triple Crown winner. It’s almost impossible to be good enough to win Group 1s over all three trips.

That being said, Vincent O’Brien’s Nijinsky managed to do just that back in 1970. Ridden by Lester Piggott, he won the 2000 Guineas, Derby and the St Leger and made himself a legend by doing so.

Sceptre is the only horse ever to win four Classics and she landed both Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger back in 1902. Oh So Sharp won the fillies’ Triple Crown in 1985 and no horse has achieved that incredible feat since.

The closest we have come in recent years was Camelot in 2012, who won the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, before finishing second in the St Leger. It would be no surprise if we never have another Triple Crown winner.

The Classics today

We’ve had four of the five Classics at the time of writing and their relevance to Flat racing remains as strong as ever, as indicated by the massive amounts of prize money on offer. George Boughey landed the most recent renewal of the 2000 Guineas with Bow Echo’s victory in May 2026.

Aidan O’Brien’s True Love got the better of stablemate Precise in the 1000 Guineas, with Joseph O’Brien’s Thundering On winning the Oaks. Lambourn landed the Derby, again for Aidan O’Brien, and we’ll find out who wins the St Leger in September.

It’s also worth noting that the legacy of the Classics extends internationally, as equivalents now exist all over the world, including in Ireland, France and Germany.