Classic Races

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The five chief horse-races in England, all for three-year-olds, are: The One Thousand Guineas, for fillies only, and the Two Thousand Guineas, for fillies and colts,

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Classic Races” mean?

The five chief horse-races in England, all for three-year-olds, are: The One Thousand Guineas, for fillies only, and the Two Thousand Guineas, for fillies and colts,

Is “Classic Races” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.