'I was feeling iffy when he was 40-1 yesterday' - relief for Archie Watson as Bradsell survives stewards' inquiry

Less than an hour after watching Army Ethos outrun odds of 20-1 to finish a neck second in the Coventry, Archie Watson was understandably thrilled when his 14-1 shot Bradsell went one better with a slick success in the King’s Stand.

The Lambourn trainer had supplemented the three-year-old for the King's Stand last week at a cost of £35,000. That looked like money well spent when he defied last year’s sprint queen and 7-4 King’s Stand favourite Highfield Princess, but fears the £355,855 first prize would slip away arose when the bing-bong for a stewards' inquiry blasted out. 

Watson would then likely have recalled the heartbreak of Dragon Symbol finishing first in the Commonwealth Cup two years ago only to be demoted and placed behind the Wesley Ward-trained Campanelle.

The winner Bradsell begins leaning to his left, coming across Highfield PrincessCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The pair are carried across the track as they pull clear of the field, but the stewards did not see enough interference to overturn the resultCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Thankfully for the 34-year-old and those who backed Bradsell, the result stood with Annaf filling third at a massive 50-1 and Australian speedball Coolangatta finishing 11th of the 17 runners.

Watson heaped praise on his team for their efforts in bringing Bradsell right back to his best after an injury ended his two-year-old campaign early.

The son of Tasleet, bought modestly as a yearling by former jump jockey Mark Grant before being resold as a breeze-up prospect, returned with a third at Ascot last month before filling the same position in Haydock's Sandy Lane.

Both races were over six furlongs, which inspired the drop back in trip for the King's Stand.

"We just felt this year he was showing a lot more speed in those races and not getting home over six," said Watson, who started training in 2016 and was enjoying his second top-flight success after Glen Shiel won the track's Champions Sprint in 2020.

Hollie Doyle and Archie Watson celebrate after the King's Stand StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I thought we'd get a proper tow into the race here today and I didn't want to sound arrogant saying nothing could take us off the bridle until deep into the race, but it's kind of what we really felt with him, and I'm so glad he's justified the belief."

Led up by Sydney Cale, Bradsell, who runs in the increasingly familiar red silks of Victorious Racing, was ridden by Hollie Doyle, who has formed a fruitful partnership with Watson, but was nowhere to be seen post-race as the inquiry lingered on.

"I hope he'll be all right, but I haven't seen a replay," he added, pondering what was playing out inside Ascot's weighing room, before explaining the thought process behind the supplementary entry.

"I thought he got a bit tired in the Commonwealth Cup trial here and we ran in the Sandy Lane and he ran a similar sort of race. I knew it couldn't be tiredness that day and he's got so much speed.

"It was an easy decision to pull back to five furlongs, although it wasn't easy in that we had to pay £35,000 to supplement. I was feeling slightly iffy yesterday when he was 40-1 in the betting. I was thinking, 'God, we've spent a lot of money on a 40-1 shot', but he was 12-1 before the off, so that was all right, and Shaikh Nasser [bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Victorious Racing] was incredibly sporting."

Watson described Doyle's contribution to his career as massive, pointing to the 200-plus winners the pair have recorded in tandem.

"I know we're seen as a big yard, but, when you compare us to some of the massive yards, we aren't," he said. "To have one of the top five jockeys in the country, which she is, is just fantastic."

That word might also explain how Watson was feeling, especially after the stewards' verdict fell his way.

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