IN much the same way as the rock band Cockney Rebel was the vehicle through which Steve Harley was brought to the attention of the masses, the eponymous racehorse is doing his bit for trainer Geoff Huffer. The main difference is that, while the band are known for their big hit Make Me Smile, the horse has now had two number ones. Both of them Classics.

In landing yesterday’s Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh, Cockney Rebel became the first colt since Rock Of Gibraltar in 2002 to complete the English-Irish Guineas double, and only the sixth to do so in history.

If there were doubts surrounding the form of the Newmarket Guineas, Cockney Rebel laid them to rest on the Curragh plains. Favourite backers rarely had a moment’s anxiety during the race. Although he pulled for his head a little in the early stages, Cockney Rebel was quickly settled by Olivier Peslier, much closer to the pace than he had been at Newmarket. He travelled easily just behind the strong pace set by Vital Equine and Trinity College, as gradually, one by one, his opponents came off the bridle.

When Peslier angled his partner out to deliver his challenge, full of running, at the two-furlong marker, the only danger looked to be the Jim Bolger-trained Creachadoir, who appeared to be travelling just as easily. But once Cockney Rebel was asked to quicken, the response was immediate and devastating. He quickly went a length and a half clear and Creachadoir never looked likely to bridge the gap.

Huffer, who travelled over in the box with his horse on Thursday, said: “I know it’s easy to say after he has won two Guineas,” said the trainer, “but this is a serious racehorse. He is the best horse that I have seen in my life. He has got such class. He has changed my life. We’re still the same, we still have the same friends, but we really appreciate what he has done for us, and we cannot be thankful enough to all the people who sent congratulations.”