The Classics are the backbone of the British flat season, five historic races, all for three-year-olds, that have shaped the breed and the calendar for more than two hundred years. A horse can contest each only once, which is exactly why winning one matters so much. Here they are, in the order they're run.
The Guineas, Newmarket, early May
The season opens at Newmarket with the two one-mile Classics over the Rowley Mile.
- The 2000 Guineas (first run in 1809) is open to colts and fillies and is the first colts' Classic, the opening championship form line of the year.
- The 1000 Guineas (1814) is for fillies only, the first fillies' Classic.
The Oaks and the Derby, Epsom, early June
A month later the season's most famous middle-distance tests are run over a mile and a half at Epsom Downs.
- The Oaks (1779) is the fillies' Classic over the Classic trip.
- The Epsom Derby (1780) is the most prestigious flat race in the world, open to colts and fillies, and the one every owner dreams of.
The St Leger, Doncaster, September
The season's staying Classic, the St Leger (1776), is the oldest of the five and the final Classic of the year, run over an extended trip of one mile six furlongs.
How they connect: the Triple Crown
The Classics also frame racing's ultimate prize. A colt who wins the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the St Leger in a single season completes the Triple Crown, a feat of speed and stamina now achieved only very rarely. There is a fillies' equivalent too, made up of the 1000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger.
For full coverage of each race, runners, odds and history, see our flat racing hubs.