Cockney Rebel (horse)

Cockney Rebel {foaled 2004) is an Irish bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He cost just 30,000gns as a yearling but won nearly £450,000 in prize money during his short career. He dominated the early Classic-race summer of 2007, becoming only the second horse in the previous 15 years (and the sixth in racing history) to win both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas Classics; victories that stamped Cockney Rebel as among the top milers of his or any other generation. The last horse to achieve the double Guineas feat was Rock of Gibraltar - who ran a slower time than Cockney Rebel in both races.

Two Year Old Career

As a juvenile Cockney Rebel won his maiden at Newmarket in uncomplicated fashion before stepping up in class to finish second in the Class 2 St Leger Yearling Stakes at York. His final start ended in a third place in Doncaster's Group 2 Champagne Stakes where he was beaten by the high class Vital Equine.

Three Year Old Career

Cockney Rebel, ridden by Olivier Peslier, was a 25-1 chance for the Guineas at Newmarket, but beat Vital Equine, his Champagne Stakes conqueror, by a length and a half. He proved that there was no fluke about the result when he followed up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh three weeks later, in similarly impressive style.

Sadly he suffered a pelvic injury when beaten in the St. James's Palace Stakes at Ascot and this proved to be his final race. He had been reported to be working well ahead of his planned reappearance but suffered a bizarre injury on the gallops when a piece of paper blew across the field and hit his near fore on the tendon. The news that it would take three months to heal prompted his connections to retire him.

He now stands at The National Stud, Newmarket.

References

• http://www.nationalstud.co.uk/stallions-CRebel-NewsArchive.asp