Cockney Rebel
Racing silks of Phil Cunningham
SireVal Royal
GrandsireRoyal Academy
DamFactice
DamsireKnown Fact
SexStallion
Foaled16 March 2004[1]
CountryIreland
ColourBay
BreederOak Lodge Bloodstock
OwnerPhil Cunningham
TrainerGeoff Huffer
Record6: 3-1-1
Earnings£448,721
Major wins
2000 Guineas Stakes (2007)
Irish 2,000 Guineas (2007)

Cockney Rebel (16 March 2004 – 23 March 2021) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning both the 2000 Guineas Stakes and the Irish 2,000 Guineas in the spring of 2007.

Background

Cockney Rebel was a son of Val Royal, winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Belmont Park in New York in 2001. Val Royal's time, 1:32.0, established a new record for the Breeders' Cup Mile and still stands as the second fastest time in the history of the championship race. Val Royal was trained by multiple champion trainer André Fabre in France, where he won the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (G2) and Prix de Guiche (G3), and by Julio Canani after being exported to California.

Val Royal's sire Royal Academy also won the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), ridden to victory by Lester Piggott at Belmont Park in 1990. Trained by Dr Vincent O'Brien Royal Academy was a son of the outstanding racehorse and stallion Nijinsky II, also trained by O'Brien and voted European Horse of the Year.

Cockney Rebel's dam Factice, was a winning daughter of European champion miler Known Fact. She raced just twice and as was sold as a broodmare for 240,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Sales in 1993. Factice was a descendant of the broodmare Rare Exchange, a half-sister of the Belmont Stakes winner Jaipur.[2]

2006: two-year-old season

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.

2007: three-year-old season

Cockney Rebel, ridden by Olivier Peslier, was a 25-1 chance for the 2000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket in 2007, but beat Vital Equine, his Champagne Stakes (G2) 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 (G1) at The Curragh three weeks later, in similarly impressive style. He 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. The last horse to achieve the double Guineas feat was Rock of Gibraltar – who ran a slower time than Cockney Rebel in both races.

A very sharp miler, Cockney Rebel clocked the second fastest time (1:36.1) since modern timings began in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. He beat winners of nine Group One races, including the locally trained champion Duke Of Marmalade, in this classic. His time in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket was also excellent, as he stopped the clocks in 1:35.2, the best time in the historic classic since 1995. This time was over two seconds faster than the time superstar Frankel recorded in the same event in 2012.

Sadly, Cockney Rebel suffered a pelvic injury when beaten as the even money favourite 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.

Stud record

He retired to stud in 2008–13 to The National Stud in Newmarket. he moved to France and was At stud in 2014–16 at Haras de Saint Arnoult Normandy and At stud in 2016–18 at Haras du Thenney, Normandy he moved back to England and was At stud in 2019–20 at Batsford Stud, Gloucestershire, England He died on 23 March 2021.[3] The most successful of his progeny to date has been the hurdler Cockney Sparrow.[4]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Cockney Rebel, bay stallion, 2004[1]
Sire
Val Royal (FR)
1996		 Royal Academy (USA)
1987		 Nijinsky Northern Dancer
Flaming Page
Crimson Saint Crimson Satan
Bolero Rose
Vadlava (FR)
1984		 Bikala Kalamoun
Irish Bird
Vadsa Halo
Rainbow's Edge
Dam
Factice (USA)
1993		 Known Fact (USA)
1977		 In Reality Intentionally
My Dear Girl
Tamerett Tim Tam
Mixed Marriage
Wacky Princess (USA)
1986		 Miswaki Mr. Prospector
Hopespringseternal
Cornish Princess Cornish Prince
Rare Exchange (Family: 8-c)[2]

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=ORDER_AND_CONFIRM&reference_number=7267599&registry=T&horse_name==Cockney%20Rebel%20(IRE)&dam_name=Factice&foaling_year=2004&nicking_stats_indicator=Y Archived 9 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 "Thoroughbred Bloodlines - Woodbine - Family 8-c". Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Trice, Kitty (24 March 2021). "Dual Guineas winner and Batsford Stud sire Cockney Rebel dies aged 17". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Cockney Rebel | Progeny | Racing Post". www.racingpost.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
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