The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and scheduled to take place each year at the start of May.
Johnny Murtagh is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classics, all the Group 1 Races at Royal Ascot, The Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and Europe's biggest race the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was also Irish flat racing Champion Jockey five times. As a trainer, based at stables near Kildare, he has saddled a winner at Royal Ascot and an Irish Classic winner.
Michael J. Kinane is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009.
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July.
The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.
Aidan Patrick O'Brien is an Irish horse racing trainer. Since 1996, he has been the private trainer at Ballydoyle Stables near Rosegreen in County Tipperary for John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest horse racing trainers of all time.
The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
Giant's Causeway was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who won five Group One races in Britain and Ireland as a three-year-old in 2000: the St James's Palace Stakes, Eclipse Stakes, Sussex Stakes, Juddmonte International Stakes and Irish Champion Stakes. He was named the 2000 Cartier Horse of the Year. The horse was sent to stud and proved to be an outstanding sire.
Ryan Lee Moore is an English flat racing jockey, who was Champion Jockey in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He is currently the first choice jockey for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle operation, a role in which he mainly rides horses owned by Coolmore Stud. He also sometimes rides horses for Juddmonte and The Queen. As of 2023, Moore has ridden over 170 Group or Grade 1 winners internationally. He has the most British Group & Listed wins of any active jockey.
Mastercraftsman was a Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. The four-time Group One-winning colt was trained by Aidan O'Brien and was ridden by Johnny Murtagh in all of his wins. He was out of mare Starlight Dreams and by top stallion Danehill Dancer.
Cockney Rebel was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning both the 2000 Guineas Stakes and the Irish 2,000 Guineas in the spring of 2007.
Virginia Waters is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career which lasted from September 2004 to October 2005 she ran twelve times and won three races. After winning once from four starts as a two-year-old, she won the Group Three Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes on her first appearance of 2005. She then recorded her most important success when winning the Classic 1000 Guineas two of her six races including an upset win in the Group Two Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. Virginia Waters failed to win her remaining six races, her best results coming when she finished fourth in The Oaks and second in the Matron Stakes. At the end of her three-year-old season she was retired from racing to become a broodmare.
Medicean was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for his performances as a four-year-old in 2001, when he recorded three consecutive wins in important British races. Unraced as a two-year-old, Medicean ran eight times in 2000, winning the Celebration Mile and finishing third in both the St James's Palace Stakes and the Sussex Stakes. In the early part of the following year, the colt showed his best form, winning the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Eclipse Stakes. He was retired to stud at the end of the year and had considerable success as a sire of winners.
The Grey Gatsby is an Irish-bred racehorse who was trained in Britain and Ireland. In 2014 he established himself as one of the best colts of his generation in Europe by winning the Dante Stakes and the Prix du Jockey Club before defeating the dual Derby winner Australia in the Irish Champion Stakes. At the end of the year he was rated level with Australia and Kingman as the best three-year-old colt in the world. He has continued to compete in Group races until 2017 but did not recapture the form shown in his three-year-old season.
Gleneagles is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. After finishing fourth on his debut, he finished first in his remaining five races as a two-year-old in 2014 and was named Cartier Champion Two-year-old Colt. He won the Tyros Stakes, Futurity Stakes and National Stakes in Ireland before being disqualified after crossing the line in first place in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère in France. On his three-year-old debut he won the 2000 Guineas and followed up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas three weeks later. In June he added a win in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Black Minnaloushe is an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Kentucky, he was sold as a yearling and sent to Ireland to race for the Irish-based Coolmore Stud organisation. After winning both his races as a juvenile, he was initially disappointing in the early part of 2001 but then showed marked improvement to win the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St James's Palace Stakes. He was beaten in his last four races and was retired to stud at the end of the year. He has had success as a breeding stallion in the United States, New Zealand and South Africa.
Shavian was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed his best form over one mile and usually ran his races from the front. As a two-year-old in 1989 he showed promising form, winning the second of his two starts. In the following year he was beaten twice in spring but then established himself as a top-class miler with wins in the St James's Palace Stakes and the Celebration Mile. He was retired at the end of the year and stood as a breeding stallion in Europe and Japan, but had little success as a sire of winners.
Circus Maximus, is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He showed promise as a juvenile in 2018 when he won one minor race and ran well in both the Autumn Stakes and the Vertem Futurity Trophy. In the following year he showed top class form over a mile, winning the Dee Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and Prix du Moulin as well as finishing second in the Sussex Stakes. As a four-year-old he won the Queen Anne Stakes and finished second in both the Sussex Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Mile.
