Cockney Rebel completed the Guineas double when landing the Irish equivalent at the Curragh yesterday. Geoff Huffer's stable star justified favouritism along with all the hype to prove he was not a one hit wonder. The colt by Val Royal was named after Steve Harley and his band, and Harley was in attendance to see the top three year old score by a length from Creachadoir and 40/1 shot He's A Decoy.
The winner tracked the leading pair of Vital Equine and Excellent Art who set a good pace to the race. Cockney Rebel went to the front under Olivier Peslier inside two furlongs out and held on under strong pressure from Jim Bolgers Creachadoir.
Geoff Huffer has hit the headlines with this horse and he could not speak highly enough about the winner. 'This horse will be a legend. He has come on from Newmarket and has now showed that he is a proper horse. It is easy to talk after winning two Guineas but this is the best horse I have ever seen in my life.'
Huffer continued, 'This is incredible, we will go for the St James's Palace now at Royal Ascot and decide from there. He could go for either the QE II or the Juddmonte and then there is the Breeders Cup as well. We will step him up to a mile and a quarter to show how versatile he is but he could win the July Cup he has that much pace!'
Guineas sponsors Boylesports make Cockney Rebel a 6/4 shot for the St James's Palace at Royal Ascot on the 19th of June.
That was the first of two races to be won by English trainers as Tipperary born and Newmarket based handler Mark Wallace watched from Haydock while his well travelled Benbaun landed the Greenland Sakes as jockey Pat Smullen recorded a Group 3 double.
Settled in mid division by Smullen the 4/1 second favourite joined the leaders a furlong from the finish and needed little encouragement from his pilot on the way to a two and a half length success.
It was a ninth win for the top class sprinter who's joint owner Stephen Hillen afterwards reported a race in France could be next on the agenda.
Cheyenne Star got up in the shadows of the post to grab the honours in the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes to complete the double for Smullen. Modeeroch looked like she was going to hold on but Cheyenne Star got up in the last fifty yards to collar Jim Bolger's charge and Heaven Sent who stayed on to be second for Sir Michael Stoute.
Winning trainer Frances Crowley was absent having given birth to a baby boy on Thursday but her husband Pat Smullen commented afterwards, 'We always thought she was a lovely filly and things didn't quite go right previously but thankfully it all came together today. Today was the plan but I think she is a filly that will travel and we could have a lot fun with in the future.'
Achilles Of Troy was the 2/5 favourite of the Isabel Morris EBF Listed Stakes but the Aidan O Brien colt could only finish a disappointing fourth as Pencil Hill ran out an impressive winner for Tracey Collins and Pat Shanahan.
Collins took over the reins following the sad passing of her father earlier in the year and has been in fine form from a limited number of runners. Her latest winner in the colours of her mother was slow to get into stride but when joining the leaders a furlong from home the Acclamation colt responded to Shanahan's urges in fine style.
'This has been a lucky race for us as my father won it five times previously. He is a smart horse but I was a bit apprehensive coming back to five furlongs but he did it well. He has a smart future ahead of him and is for sale,' revealed Collins.
Having watched Creachadoir put in a fine performance in the Guineas Jim Bolger was delighted to see Namaya land the Boylesports.com Handicap by three parts of a length. Carrying top weight, the four year old took up proceedings just over a furlong out to score by three parts of a length.
'He was very good as a two year old and lost his way last year but all the runs to date this season were very good and he bounced back well. We will come back here on Derby day if we can get into one of those handicaps but if not we will step up to Group 3 company,' said the winning trainer.
Munnings also defied the burden of carrying top weight when victorious in the Boylepoker.com Handicap for Tony Martin with Fran Berry up. Backed from odds of 12/1 into 5/1 in the morning with the sponsors the four year old returned an easy to back 9/1 shot in the ring.
Balakan was all the rage before hand and made a bold attempt to make all the running but the winner stalked the leaders three furlongs from home and once hitting the front a furlong out stayed on gamely by a length and a quarter.
'This is a nice horse and we are in no hurry with him as he is only four,' explained Martin. 'We will wait for a little more ease in the ground. We will not take a chance running him on it that quick ground again but I wanted to show the owners after his few poor runs last season that he has potential. It is possible he will go to Ascot and wont we won't be going over hurdles until the autumn.'
Galway is now on the agenda for Peculiar Prince who won the final race on the card for trainer Liam McAteer and jockey Niall McCullagh. Held up for two months having ?'put up a splint' according to the trainer, the 16/1 winner will now be aimed towards Ballybrit.
By Niall Cronin
? www.irish-racing.com
