The UAE 2000 Guineas is a Grade 3 flat dirt race for three-year-old thoroughbreds contested over 1 mile at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Traditionally, a key early-season middle-distance test in the Dubai racing calendar, it has been included as part of the Euro/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby.
The 2026 UAE 2000 Guineas is scheduled for January 23, as one of the first major international qualifying races in the Euro/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
Recent editions have seen strong performances from horses like Six Speed, who finished strongly to win by a clear margin in the 2026 running and earned 20 points toward the international Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Six Speed | Mickael Barzalona | Bhupat Seemar | 1:38.20 |
| 2024 | Golden Vekoma | Connor Beasley | Ahmad bin Harmash | 1:37.80 |
| 2023 | Mendelssohn Bay | Patrick Cosgrave | Bhupat Seemar | 1:38.13 |
| 2022 | Tall Boy | William Buick | Doug F. O'Neill | 1:37.32 |
| 2021 | Azure Coast | Antonio Fresu | Pavel Vashchenko | 1:29.31 |
| 2020 | Mouheeb | Ryan Curatolo | Nicholas Bachalard | 1:36.46 |
| 2019 | Fore Left | William Buick | Doug F. O'Neill | 1:38.43 |
As part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the UAE 2000 Guineas awards valuable qualifying points and provides an early look at horses capable of handling dirt at a one-mile distance before moving on to longer, more demanding preps in the Middle East series.
For online horse betting, this race is especially interesting because it brings international contenders to a dirt surface similar to what they would face later at the UAE Derby and potentially at Churchill Downs.
