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• Sir Charles Bunbury, one of the men responsible for inaugurating the Derby in 1780, inspired the Jockey Club to introduce two more Classics, both over a mile.  So the 2000 Guineas, open to both colts and fillies, and the 1000 Guineas, open only to fillies, were inaugurated at Newmarket.  They are the first two of the five English Classics, all restricted to three-year-olds, the others being the Derby and Oaks over 12 furlongs at Epsom, and the extended 14-furlong St Leger, the oldest Classic of them all (first run in 1776), at Doncaster.

• The original prize for the race was 2000 Guineas, hence its name.

• In 2007 the total prize money was a record £350,000.

• The Stan James 2000 Guineas was first run in 1809 and won by Wizard. His connections - trainer T Perren, owner Christopher Wilson and jockey Bill Clift - were also responsible for the first 1000 Guineas winner, Charlotte in 1814.

• The mile classic, run on Newmarket’s NatWest Rowley Mile course, is for three-year-old colts and fillies. Few fillies, who carry 5lb less than colts, run in the 2000 Guineas and seven have been successful - Pastille (1822), Crucifix (1840), Formosa (dead-heat with the colt Moslem in 1868), Pilgrimage (1878), Shotover (1882), Sceptre (1902) and Garden Path (1944).

• The largest Stan James 2000 Guineas field was in 1930 when there were 28 runners in the race won by Diolite while 27 ran in 2000, 1964, 1951 and 1933. In both 1829 and 1830 there were just two competitors, with both winners - Patron and Augustus - owned by Lord Exeter and trained by C Marson. The maximum field allowed for safety reasons is currently 30.

• Since 1900, the longest winning distance in the Stan James 2000 Guineas was recorded in 1947 by Tudor Minstrel, who scored by eight lengths. During the same period, the classic has been won by the smallest margin (a short-head) a dozen times - Neil Gow (1910), Kennymore (1914), Adam’s Apple (1927), Pay Up (1936), Kingsway (1943), Nimbus (1949), Palestine (1950), Only For Life (1963), Kashmir II (1966), Royal Palace (1967), Mister Baileys (1994) and, most recently, Mark Of Esteem (1996) pictured below.

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• The longest-priced winner in the history of the 2000 Guineas was 1961 hero Rockavon, who was returned at 66/1. Not nearly so generous were the odds of 12/100 laid on St Frusquin in 1896 - the shortest-priced winner.
• In the 199 runnings to date, a total of 79 favourites or joint-favourites have obliged in the 2000 Guineas - 40% of winners have headed the betting market. Favourite backers have not had such a good time over the last 16 years with just two market leaders, Zafonic at 5/6 in 1993 and George Washington at 6/4 in 2006, obliging. George Washington ridden by Kieren Fallon is pictured below.

• Irish-trained horses have won 11 renewals of the 2000 Guineas since 1900. The first was 1960 winner Martial, trained by Paddy Prendergast, and he has been followed by Sir Ivor (1968 Vincent O’Brien), Nijinsky (1970 Vincent O’Brien), Nebbiolo (1977 Kevin Prendergast), Lomond (1983 Vincent O’Brien), El Gran Senor (1984 Vincent O’Brien), King Of Kings (1998 Aidan O’Brien), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002 Aidan O’Brien), Refuse To Bend (2003 Dermot Weld), Footstepsinthesand (2005 Aidan O’Brien) and George Washington (2006 Aidan O'Brien). Refuse to Bend ridden by Pat Smullen is pictured below

• Since 1900 there have been 11 winners trained in France. They are 1933 Rodosto (trained by Harry Count), 1937 Le Ksar (F Carter), 1940 Djebel (A Swann), 1952 Thunderhead II (Etienne Pollett), 1959 Taboun (Alec Head), 1964 Baldric II (Ernie Fellows), 1966 Kashmir II (Charles Bartholomew), 1974 Nonoalco (Francois Boutin), 1982 Zino (Francois Boutin), 1994 Zafonic (Andre Fabre) and 1995 Pennekamp (Andre Fabre).

• The first horse to complete the 2000 Guineas/Epsom Derby double was Smolensko, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury, in 1813. Since then a further 33 horses have completed this double, the most recent being Nashwan in 1989.

• The 2000 Guineas, together with the Epsom Derby and St Leger, form the colts' Triple Crown and 15 horses have managed to win these Classics, the first being West Australian in 1853 and the most recent Nijinsky in 1970.

• Queen Elizabeth II owned the 1958 winner of the 2000 Guineas, Pall Mall, while her great-grandfather, King Edward VII, owned both the 1900 victor Diamond Jubilee (when he was the Prince of Wales) and Minoru, successful in 1909.

• The 2000 Guineas of 1971 saw a great finish involving two top racehorses - Brigadier Gerard and Mill Reef. It was "The Brigadier" who won by three lengths. The two never met again, Brigadier Gerard going on to become one of the greatest milers of all time, while Mill Reef was all conquering at middle distances. A statue of Bridgadier Gerard now stands next to the parade ring at the Rowley Mile

• Another exceptional year came in 1984, when the El Gran Senor proved two and a half lengths too strong for Chief Singer. After his Newmarket success, El Gran Senor was controversially beaten a short-head by Secreto in the Epsom Derby and finished his career with victory in the Irish Derby.  Chief Singer was brought back to sprint distances and took Europe’s premier sprint race, the Darley July Cup, that summer.

• There were two other exceptional winners later in the eighties. Dancing Brave, the 1986 victor, was very unlucky not to win the Epsom Derby on his next start but, by the end of the season, had landed the Eclipse Stakes, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to prove himself one of the all-time ‘greats’.  The 1989 winner, Nashwan, also proved himself to be an outstanding champion, going on to take the Derby, Eclipse and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes for trainer Dick Hern and jockey Willie Carson.

• The record time is 1m 35.08s, set by Mister Baileys in 1994.

• Mark Of Esteem, under Frankie Dettori, got the best of a thrilling finish by a short-head in 1996 to give Godolphin a first success. He became a top miler with victories in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot where the colt was one of the rider’s “Magnificent Seven”.

• Rock Of Gibraltar, co-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, won the 2000 Guineas in 2002 by a neck from his stable companion Hawk Wing. The Newmarket Classic was one of a record seven Group One races that “The Rock” managed to win in succession. Rock of Gibralter is pictured below with happy jockey and trainer, Johnny Murtagh and Sir Alex Ferguson.

• Sir Michael Stoute, responsible for the 2001 Stan James 2000 Guineas winner Golan, is the most successful current trainer with five victories. His other four winners were Shadeed (1985), Doyoun (1988), Entrepreneur (1997) and King’s Best (2000). Aidan O’Brien reached the fifth-mark this year when Henrythenavigator stormed to victory. In 2006, George Washington triumphed, following on from King Of Kings (1998), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002) and Footstepsinthesand (2005). Richard Hannon has saddled three winners - Mon Fils (1973), Don’t Forget Me (1987) and Tirol (1990). Golan ridden to victory by Kieron Fallon is pictured below.

• The most successful current jockey in the Stan James 2000 Guineas is Kieren Fallon with four victories, all in the last 7 years – George Washington (2006), Footstepsinthesand (2005), Golan (2001) and King’s Best (2000), while Frankie Dettori has had two successes.  Mick Kinane has three victories to his name - King Of Kings (1998), Entrepreneur (1997) and Tirol (1990). Kings Best ridden by Kieron Fallon is pictured below.

• In 2005 Kieren Fallon and Aidan O’Brien took both the 2000 and the 1000 Guineas thanks to Footstepsinthesand and Virginia Waters, the first trainer/jockey partnership  to complete the Guineas double since Sir Noel Murless and George Moore were successful with Royal Palace and Fleet in 1967. Footstepsinthesand and Kieren Fallon are pictured below.

Historic Winners of the Stan James 2000 Guineas