- Hollie Doyle revealed that she is relishing her reunion on Bradsell
- Bradsell, trained by Archie Watson, is favourite for Saturday’s Flying Five
Hollie Doyle is relishing her reunion on Bradsell after revealing she’s never been faster on a horse than when he won York’s Nunthorpe Stakes.
Bradsell, trained by Archie Watson, is favourite for Saturday’s Flying Five – one of four Group Ones on a brilliant card at The Curragh, which stages the second day of Irish Champions Weekend.
It will be an afternoon that sees both ends of the spectrum as Kyprios, the season’s outstanding stayer, will look to land the Irish St Leger. The sprinters in the Flying Five, however, will provide a spectacle that you dare not miss.
Doyle is wide-eyed when she talks about Bradsell, who fractured a fetlock in February but has returned in such good heart that he clocked speeds of 43mph (70km/h) when pummelling his rivals during the Ebor Festival.
There has been a growing sense that Believing, runner-up in the Nunthorpe and trained by George Boughey, will gain revenge with Ryan Moore in the saddle but the filly could need turbos to peg back Bradsell if he is in the same form.
Hollie Doyle is relishing her reunion on Bradsell, who is favourite for Saturday’s Flying Five
Doyle says she’s never been faster on a horse than when Bradsell won York’s Nunthorpe Stakes
‘He was fast, wasn’t he?’ said Doyle. ‘I rode The Platinum Queen and she won the Abbaye a couple of years ago. She was so, so quick but he was different gear at York. He is powerful now and has just been getting faster with age.
‘You think that he was running over six furlongs as a two-year-old but look at him now that he has dropped back to five. He’s such a calm horse and, bless him, he’s been through so much. But he’s got such confidence and knows he’s good. It’s great to see.’
There will be stories at every turn this weekend and it will be fascinating to see how the Ballydoyle juveniles run. Bedtime Story, who was mesmerising at Royal Ascot, is a warm order for the Moyglare Stud Stakes; Henri Matisse leads the market for the National Stakes.
