Rebel team bask in 'unbelievable' success
Connections of Cockney Rebel are “just coming down to earth” after the colt became the first since Rock Of Gibraltar in 2002 to land the Irish 2000 Guineas on the back of the English equivalent.
Geoff Huffer’s charge supplemented a breathtaking success at Newmarket three weeks ago with a gutsy display in the Boylesports-sponsored version at the Curragh on Saturday.
“I’m just coming down to earth! I’ve just been watching the race again with my wife and daughter. It’s unbelievable,” said owner Phil Cunningham.
“There were loads of bits and pieces said that he was a one-off and a one-hit wonder, it’s just fantastic for him to have done it again.”
And Cunningham was quick to defend his team over the bullish pre-race comments regarding the three-year-old before he headed across the Irish Sea.
He said: “There is a fine line between people saying that we were over-confident and people saying that we would end up with egg on our face.
“But the trouble is if a horse does a great piece of work and you don’t tell anybody you can get in trouble for that as well, so it was difficult for Geoff.
“Some people didn’t like the fact we were so confident but thankfully he proved it again.”
The son of Val Royal came from last to first at Newmarket but was never far from the pace under Olivier Peslier in Ireland and galloped to a one-length success.
“The plan was always to be up with the pace yesterday, and to be honest it was only unfortunate circumstances that meant he was so far behind at Newmarket,” said Cunningham.
“When I was watching the race I felt Olivier went a little bit too early, but I don’t think he could have done much about it. He stayed on well though.
“Watching it again I think he won a little bit more comfortably than the winning distance.
“We were on the nine o’clock flight back so we only had a couple of pints at the airport. It was very tempting to stay over, but it’s a long way back with a hangover the following day.
“I must admit I’ve never felt pressure like that before. It’s the expectation that builds and it was such a relief when he won.
“The Newmarket race was always the one I wanted to win. It was then my request to run in Ireland for family reasons so it is great that it has come off.
“I spoke to Geoff this morning and the horse is on his way back. He’s fine and eaten up well so it’s all systems go to Ascot (for the St James’s Palace Stakes), he’ll have an easy week now.
“Geoff said he would do one more thing for me and that is to give me a Royal Ascot winner. That would be absolutely amazing.”
