Graham Bradley, the acclaimed jockey who famously rode Bregawn to victory in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has died at the age of 65.
Bradley, affectionately known as ‘Brad’ among his peers, enjoyed a distinguished career in jump racing, marked by significant triumphs and a distinctive riding style.
His Gold Cup win was particularly memorable, forming part of an unprecedented one-two-three-four-five finish for trainer Michael Dickinson.
Dickinson reflected on their shared success, telling the Press Association: “Brad loved being a jump jockey, it was his passion in life. He was a great tactician in a race because he knew every horse in that race. He was good over a fence, but he was great with tactics and a beautiful stylist. We shared some great days together, the Gold Cup in 1983 being just one of them.”
The Harrogate-born jockey, who had been battling semantic dementia in recent years, also secured the 1996 Champion Hurdle aboard Jim Old’s Collier Bay and the 1985 Irish Grand National with Rhyme ‘n’ Reason.
His long-time friend, Brendan Powell, who later won the Aintree Grand National on Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, paid tribute: “He was a great jockey. They wrote the book ‘The Wayward Lad’ and that was Brad for you, but as a person he was a very kind, generous man and one of the best jockeys I’ve actually ridden against or seen – he was sheer class. He was one of the most stylish jockeys around. A lot of younger lads copied their style from him over the years. It’s sad after how he’d become the last couple of years. Bob (Amanda Bradley) his wife has looked after him so well.”
Another highlight of Bradley’s career was his victory in the 1997 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury with Suny Bay. He then guided the Charlie Brooks-trained grey to a superb second place in the 1998 Grand National, carrying top-weight of 12st.
After retiring from the saddle, Bradley found success in the bloodstock business, notably purchasing Seebald for footballers Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman, and the top two-mile chaser Well Chief for David Johnson.
Despite his brilliance on the track, Bradley faced challenges off it, receiving an eight-year ban – later reduced to five on appeal – from the Jockey Club in 2002 for breaches of rules, including passing privileged information. He made a final, one-off return to racing in 2010, finishing third in the Leger Legends charity race at Doncaster aboard Aflaam.
