Graham Bradley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Graham Bradley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bradley with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, 1983 | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 8 September 1960 Wetherby, England |
| Major racing wins | |
| Cheltenham Gold Cup (1983) Irish Grand National (1985) Champion Hurdle (1996) Hennessy Gold Cup (1997) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Bregawn, Collier Bay, Suny Bay, Wayward Lad | |
Graham Bradley (born 8 September 1960) is a retired National Hunt jockey, whose victories included the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and the Irish Grand National. Over a 22-year career, in which he rode more than 700 winners, he was at times involved in controversies and, in 2002, he was banned from the sport by the Jockey Club for five years.
Bradley grew up in Wetherby in West Yorkshire and was taught to ride by his father, Norman Bradley, who trained racehorses. He rode his first winner aged 20, with his career taking off when he joined the yard of Yorkshire trainer Michael Dickinson. [1] In 1982, he won the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Bregawn for Dickinson. The partnership then went on to win the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, in which Dickinson saddled the first five home.[1][2] Over the course of his career, Bradley achieved nine victories at the Cheltenham Festival, including the 1996 Champion Hurdle. Having been jocked off favourite Alderbrook, he won on 9/1 chance Collier Bay, who started at odds of 9/1 and beat the favourite into second place. Bradley won the Grand Annual Chase four times, a post-1945 record which remains unequalled in 2025.[3][4]
On his first ride in Ireland, Bradley won the 1985 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Rhyme 'n' Reason. He went on to have a number of successes in Ireland over the years.[5] A victory in the Aintree Grand National eluded Bradley; his best result was second place on Suny Bay in the 1998 race.[1] He had won the 1997 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on the popular grey four months previously.[6] Bradley also won the 1984 and 1986 Welsh Grand National.[7] In the 1985/86 season, Wayward Lad, trained by Monica Dickinson, provided Bradley with a victories in the Charlie Hall Chase and King George VI Chase, as well as second places in the Tommy Whittle Chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Bowl. Wayward Lad was also the inspiration for the title of the jockey's autobiography.[7]
On his retirement in 1999, Bradley had ridden over 700 winners, with his best season being 1986/87 when he rode 53 winners. A talented and stylish rider, and a popular figure in the weighing room, his career was at times mired in controversy.[2][7] In 1982 he was suspended for two months for having placed a bet at Cartmel Racecourse.[8] In 1987 he received a three-month suspension under the "non-triers" rule after a race at Market Rasen.[8] The Jockey Club undertook an investigation in 1996 after Bradley pulled up the favourite, Man Mood, in a two-horse race at Warwick. No evidence of wrongdoing was found and the case was dropped.[9] Bradley was arrested in January 1999 and charged in April with race-fixing in relation to the same ride. Charges were dropped in June 1999 and he was able to regain his licence, which had been suspended by the Jockey Club when he was charged.[10] His final ride before he retired was a win on Ontheboil in November 1999.[1]