A controversial, but nonethless popular, figure during his riding career, Graham Bradley retired from the saddle on a high when, on November 13, 1999, he steered Ontheboil, trained by Don Eddy, to a five-length victory in a novices’ handicap chase at Haydock Park. However, the racing authorities were by no means finished with him and, in December 2002, he was found guilty of passing what he described in court as ‘very privileged’ information to subsequently convicted drug smuggler Brian Wright. Following a three-day inquiry, Bradley was ‘warned off’ for eight years, reduced to five on appeal, by the Jockey Club.
Born in Wetherby, Yorkshire on September 8, 1960, Bradley had his first, unsuccessful, ride in public, as a 16-year-old schoolboy, in an amateur riders’ race on the Flat at Redcar on June 18, 1977. However, he would not ride his first winner, Talon, trained by Tony Dickinson, in a novices’ hurdle at Sedgefield until nearly three years later, on March 3, 1980. Prior to joining the Dickinsons, Bradley spent two years with Arthur Stephenson, but was limited to a handful of moderate rides and it wasn’t until he arrived at Poplar House in Harewood, West Yorkshire that his career began to blossom.
Notable horses during his career included Bregawn, on whom he won the Hennessy Gold Cup (now the Coral Gold Cup) in 1982 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1983, Righthand Man, on whom he won the Charlie Hall Chase in 1982 and the Welsh Grand National in 1984 and Wayward Lad, on whom he won both the Charlie Hall Chase and the King George VI Chase in 1985. Later in his career, Bradley became stable to jockey to Charlie Brooks at the historic Upland Stables in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire. He won the 1996 Champion Hurdle on Collier Bay, trained by Jim Old, and the 1997 Hennessy Gold Cup on Suny Bay, trained by Brooks. In 1993/94 and 1995/96 he rode a total of 52 winners, just one shy of his best-ever seasonl total, 53, which he achievd in 1986/87.
