THE TIMES SPORT
23rd August 2024
It all makes sense afterwards. In this Nunthorpe quite a bit made sense before. Bradsell was the one horse being backed in the market and in the paddock he was practically leaping out of his skin.
To be exact he leapt sideway and flattened his poor groom Karen Peippo and then dragged another attendant down the paddock with Hollie Doyle a tiny figure in desperately tugging on the reins. Those famous weight-lifting sessions meant that seven and a half stone of Hollie somehow curbed half a ton of Bradsell and the pair then set off sedately to the start.
Bu this was a minor drama compared to six months ago when Bradsell fractured a cannon bone and the battle was to save him for stud not launch him up York’s five furlongs in their fastest race of the year.
Training triumphs don’t come much more complete than this one by 35 old Archie Watson and his staff at Lambourn. Thoroughbreds are fragile enough at the best of times, explosive sprinters especially so. Yet Bradsell was nursed through to make a winning return at Deauville three weeks ago and by yesterday afternoon expectations were high enough to see his starting price sink from a predicted 8-1 second only to the star Australian favourite Asfoora.
He was helped by an excellent draw next to the Czech horse Ponntos on the inside whilst Asfoora was across in stall 8 with her Goodwood conqueror Big Evs and Hollie’s husband Tom Marquand widest out in 14. The strong cross winds ruled out any records but this was running horses at the very limit.
Bradsell went from 0-20 in 2.39 seconds and after Ponntos had led him early, the four year old clocked the next two furlongs in 10.45 and 10.40 hitting a peak speed of 43.93 mph. 44 mph may not sound that quick but think it of a bicycle, imagine it with eleven other horses thundering in pursuit.
Bradsell had won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two year old and the meeting’s top sprint the King’s Stand Stakes last year and at this stretch on the favoured far side he was just too good for his rivals.
Big Evs blazed early but faded to be a disappointing 8th, Asfoora battled through but could never get a real bite at the leader with Believing closing from wide to be a respectful three quarter length second, Starlust a head away third and the Aussie flyer another neck away fourth with Ponntos wowing Prague by finishing fifth.
Doyle and Archie Watson have been linked since his first full training season in 2017 and she was full of praise for the trainer and his horse. “He’s the comeback kid,” she said of Bradsell, “and all credit to Archie and the team at home as they’ve done an unbelievable job with him.”
“I remember getting the call when he got injured and he said it could be career-ending, which you never want to hear, but here we are. Never underestimate what Archie does with his horses. We’ve had some great days and this is another one. This means everything to me. This is what I do it for, days like this.”
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