Tag Archive for: Nick Bradley

Marshman ‘in great form’ ahead of top-class Duke of York

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Marshman is primed for a competitive renewal of the 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes on the opening day of the Dante meeting.

The Karl Burke-trained three-year-old began his season in the Group Three Prix Sigy at Chantilly in mid April, a race he won by a length and a quarter after a 205-day break.

The success resumed Marshman’s career after a good juvenile campaign that saw him take two novice events before finishing second in the Gimcrack when beaten by Godolphin’s Noble Style.

He now returns to the Knavesmire to take on the same course and distance in an intriguing Group Two event over six furlongs, having been working with Gimcrack third and recent Ascot winner Cold Case.

“He’s in great form at home, he’s been working well with Cold Case,” said Nick Bradley of owners Nick Bradley Racing.

“I wouldn’t say he’s in front or behind, it’s hard to say as they do everything on the bridle.”

Of his Gimcrack run last season he added: “If you look at the horses behind him, Cold Case was four lengths behind him, Royal Scotsman was six lengths behind.

“I think that was a really, really good race.”

Bradley reports the horse to have fared well following his Chantilly success, a race that has set him up nicely for his seasonal debut on British turf.

He said: “I was delighted with that performance, what I was impressed about was the way he accelerated away from the field – he put the race to bed really quickly.

“We expected him to get tired and he did, but he’s come out of the race really well and it should put him spot on for this.”

As well as Marshman, the Duke of York features the crack John Quinn-trained mare Highfield Princess, Australian ace The Astrologist and the Charlie Appleby-trained Creative Force.

Highfield Princess and Jason Hart in last year's Duke of York
Highfield Princess and Jason Hart in last year’s Duke of York (Tim Goode/PA)

Quinn reports his charge to be doing well, although her Group One burden will present a challenge.

Winner of this race 12 months ago, she went on to win the Prix Maurice de Gheest, Nunthorpe and Flying Five before ending her season with a creditable fourth at the Breeders’ Cup.

Quinn said: “She had a break after America, but she’s been back in a while.

“We’re pleased how she’s training but all of her life she’s been getting the mares’ allowance and now, with her Group One penalty, obviously she’s giving weight to colts – which won’t be easy.

“But we’re happy with her and it’s a great place to start off her season.”

Marshman powers home in Prix Sigy return

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Marshman made a smart start to his campaign with a front-running victory in the Prix Sigy at Chantilly.

Impressive in winning his first two starts at Ayr and Thirsk last summer, the Nick Bradley Racing-owned colt went on to fill the runner-up spot in the Gimcrack Stakes at York before rounding off his juvenile year by finishing fifth when favourite for the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Karl Burke’s charge was a warm order to make a successful reappearance at Group Three level in France and dominated from the outset in the hands of Clifford Lee.

Wodao, trained by Donnacha O’Brien did his best to bridge the gap in the latter stages of the five-and-a-half-furlong contest but Marshman was well on top at the line, prompting Paddy Power to trim his odds for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot to 9-1 from 16-1.

Bradley confirmed the son of Harry Angel is likely to have one more run before heading to the showpiece meeting in Berkshire.

He said: “The season starts here really for us, so it’s nice to get off to a good start.

Clifford Lee speaks to Nick Bradley at Beverley
Clifford Lee speaks to Nick Bradley at Beverley (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Karl has been pretty positive all spring. He’s put the odd average piece of work in, but other than that he couldn’t have been any better.

“I thought he was a certainty today and he won like one. He got a little bit lonely at the end and the only danger was if he got tired on the ground, but we got away with it.

“We’ll look at the Sandy Lane at Haydock or the Duke of York Stakes next and then we’ll head for the Commonwealth Cup.”

Bradley outlines sprint aspirations for Marshman

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Marshman will be campaigned as a sprinter when he returns to the track to kick-off his three-year-old campaign – with a trip to France for Chantilly’s Prix Sigy highlighted as the speedster’s early-season target.

A relatively inexpensive £38,000 breeze-up buy, the Karl Burke-trained son of Harry Angel created a deep impression in his first two outings before going down by less than two lengths to the well-regarded Noble Style when sent off the 9-4 favourite for the Gimcrack at York.

That signalled a trip to Newmarket for a tilt at the Group One Middle Park Stakes and although popular with punters once again when sent off the 15-8 favourite, he proved far too keen before hanging under pressure as Aidan O’Brien’s Blackbeard recorded an impressive victory.

He plugged on for fifth but returned lame from his run on the Rowley Mile in what was to be his final outing of the campaign.

“He came out of the Newmarket race lame in front,” explained Nick Bradley, managing director of owner Nick Bradley Racing.

“He was suffering with sore shins throughout his two-year-old campaign, which is just something that can happen with two-year-olds, particularly ones which come from the breeze-ups.

“So when he went downhill in the Middle Park I expected him to hang, but he hung more than I thought he would. He was keen at the beginning of the race as well and everything went wrong – but we still managed to finish fourth in a Group One.”

Trainer Karl Burke could have a smart sprinter on his hands in Marshman
Trainer Karl Burke could have a smart sprinter on his hands in Marshman (Mike Egerton/PA)

Now connections have resisted the temptation to take in a 2000 Guineas trial in the early stages of the campaign and have set their sights on all of the major sprinting prizes throughout the season – starting with the Chantilly Group Three on April 17.

“He’s been back in since December time,” Bradley continued. “Karl was raving about the horses in general and Marshman was kind of top of the pile. He has not done any serious work as yet though.

“We’re not going to be drawn into stepping him up in trip for the Guineas or anything like that, we very much see him as a sprinter. I find a lot of those breeze-up horses run over a shorter distance than their pedigrees suggest due to the way they have been trained early in their careers.

“He is probably going to start over in France in the Sigy. It’s a Group Three over five and a half furlongs and that will be his target at the moment.

“Our aim last year was to make him a stallion and he was second in the Gimcrack when he looked to have it won. That itself would have been enough.

“But hopefully we are going to win the Group Three in France then we can look at races like the Sandy Lane (Haydock), Commonwealth Cup (Royal Ascot) and the July Cup (Newmarket). Those sorts of races will be his targets and the aim is to win as many Group races as we can.”

Coltor carrying hopes of Cheltenham success for Nick Bradley Racing

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Nick Bradley and Roger Fell are mostly associated with winners on the Flat, but they are planning an audacious raid on the Cheltenham Festival with ex-Dermot Weld inmate Coltor.

Fifth in the Boodles Fred Winter at Prestbury Park when trained by Weld in 2021, the dual-purpose six-year-old won four times for the legendary Irish handler while housed at Rosewell House, before switching the Curragh for North Yorkshire at a cost of 25,000 guineas last autumn.

A fact-finding mission on the Flat identified the son of Free Eagle requires further than the minimum two miles these days and the plan was hatched to target either the Coral Cup or Pertemps Final at the Festival next month.

Having qualified for the longer of the two races by finishing a close-up second at Musselburgh recently – with Rendlesham winner Wakool back in fourth – Bradley suggests the Pertemps could be the perfect spot for his rare jumps runner unless conditions dictate dropping back in distance.

“We took him for a spin at Kempton on the all-weather to learn a little bit and Tom Marquand rode him. He said there is no way in the world he is a two-mile hurdler,” explained the managing director of Nick Bradley Racing.

“If you look in Ireland they were using various types of headgear, which I’m not a fan of. So we took it all off, went back to basics over two miles on the Flat to get him from 85 per cent fit to 100 per cent fit, so we could go to Musselburgh for the Pertemps qualifier.

“My assistant is called Lewis Poskitt and he needs all the credit as he spotted the race. We were thinking Musselburgh or the Haydock race and obviously we qualified by finishing second anyway so didn’t need to run at Haydock.”

He went on: “That was a great run and he’s come out of the race fine and now he is being put away for a run in either the Pertemps or the Coral Cup. He will probably go for the Pertemps, but if it comes up soft or heavy then it would be Coral Cup.

“The horse who finished behind us at Musselburgh won the Rendlesham and I think we go there with a massive chance.”

It would not be the first time Bradley has enjoyed success at the Festival as he was the man responsible for purchasing Junior on behalf of Middleham Park Racing for £35,000 before he went on to strike at both Royal Ascot and then by a whopping 24-lengths in the Kim Muir while trained by David Pipe.

Nick Bradley speaks to a jockey at Beverley
Nick Bradley speaks to a jockey at Beverley (Mike Egerton/PA)

“Years ago I bought a horse called Junior who won at Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival,” continued Bradley.

“He had the widest winning margin at the Festival until Tiger Roll beat him the other year. He is one I’ve enjoyed success with before.”

Meanwhile, with the start of the Flat turf season just over a month away, Bradley and Fell are targeting Doncaster’s SBK Lincoln with another of their new recruits, Toshizou.

Formerly trained by Joseph O’Brien, he is a best price of 33-1 for the prestigious season-opening handicap and Bradley believes his odds offer real value judged on his best form in Ireland.

He added: “If you watch his two runs last year – the run at the start of the season was really good, he was just too far back. Then he was sent off favourite next time and I thought he ran fine that day but came back lame.

“We got him going early January and we’re on target for the Lincoln. At the moment he might need a little help to get in, but it’s a race that will cut up plenty.

“He will go and have his first away day in about 10 days and we don’t know levels of ability or anything like that at present, but based on the form of his first run in 2022, he was a very well-handicapped horse then and I told all the owners to back him at 40-1 for the Lincoln a few weeks ago. I don’t know what price he is now, but he was definitely the wrong price at 40-1.

“The horse has done everything right so far, but March will be the month we find out more.”