One of the first events of Melbourne’s famed Spring Racing Carnival, the Thousand Guineas is a staple of Victorian racing for many years. From its post-war beginnings to the modern-day event, this is a brief history of the race.

The development of the Thousand Guineas

The first edition of the Thousand Guineas was held in 1946, the year after the guns were lowered to conclude World War II. Initially, the race — which was held over a mile until Australia moved to the metric system — was held on Caulfield Cup day, acting as a sideshow to that main event, and for 42 years, it remained on that day.

The 1,600-metre race is open to three-year-old fillies only, and through these initial decades, it continued to grow in significance, eventually being officially listed as a Group 1 race in 1979. Nine years later, as a result of the sustained growth of the race, it was moved from Caulfield Cup day for the first time, becoming a standalone feature event on the Wednesday before the Caulfield Cup from 1988. It remained on this day until 2014 when it was moved to the very first day of the Caulfield Carnival — Caulfield Guineas day. It now shares that meeting with three other Group 1s, including the Caulfield Guineas, which functions essentially as the mare and fillies counterpart to this race.

Indicative of the race’s prestige, the total prize money as of 2020 sits at $1 million, making it one of 18 Group 1 races in Victorian racing worth a nine-figure total. Of this $1 million, the winner takes home $600,000, and a $1 million bonus is also given to any horse that wins this race along with the Cox Plate while also competing in either the Stutt Stakes, Caulfield Guineas Prelude or Thousand Guineas Prelude.

Notable past winners

Indicative of the quality of the race, there were several very established horses to compete and win this race. Wenona Girl was one of the early winners of the event, saluting back in 1960 early in what would ultimately end up a 27-win career. The 1980s saw Magic Flute, Riverina Charm, and Tristanagh get the chocolates, all horses that would have established racing careers.

The turn of the century saw talented fillies such as Magical Miss (2001), Special Harmony (2003) and Alinghi (2004) win the event, the latter of whom would end up with four Group 1 wins to her name. More recently, Global Glamour took it out in 2016, just a week after she won the Group 1 Flight Stakes — she would go on to win another Group 2 race in the same season. Last year, Odeum galloped clear to win by two lengths on a talented field, beating the likes of Hungry Heart to claim the third win shaping up a promising career.

Since 1946, the Caulfield Guineas has continued to grow to the point where it has now developed into one of the premier fillies-only races on the Victorian racing calendar. The 2021 edition of the event is scheduled to take place on the 9th of October, and if the Thousand Guineas’ history is anything to go by, the winner could well be in for an extensive career.

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