He finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas on his three-year-old debut, but showed vastly improved form when moved up to longer distances in summer.

Generous was a flaxen chestnut horse with a white star and snip bred by the Barronstown Stud in County Wicklow, Ireland.

[2] Generous was sired by Caerleon, an American-bred colt who won the Prix du Jockey Club and the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup in 1983 when trained in Ireland by Vincent O'Brien.

Starting at odds of 6/1 against five opponents, he took the lead a furlong from the finish and won by half a length from Les Animaux Nuages with the future Diomed Stakes winner Sylva Honda in fourth.

Generous was dropped in class on his return to England, where he was an easy winner of a minor stakes race at Sandown Park Racecourse on 18 September.

[8] Generous' final appearance of the season was in Britain's most prestigious race for two-year-olds, the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse on 19 October.

Quinn restrained the colt in the early stages before producing a strong late run to overtake Bog Trotter inside the final furlong and record an upset victory by three-quartes of a length.

[10] After the Guineas, Paul Cole's stable jockey was replaced as Generous's rider by Alan Munro, reportedly at the insistence of the colt's owner.

[12] On 30 June Generous was sent to contest the Irish Derby at the Curragh in which he was matched against the leading French-trained colt Suave Dancer, the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club.

[13][14] A month later, Generous was tested against older horses for the first time in Britain's most prestigious all-aged race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.