Archie Watson

ASCOT, UK--Some of us get slower as we get older. Bradsell (GB) is getting faster. So much so that, instead of treading the more obvious three-year-old sprinter route to the Commonwealth Cup, trainer Archie Watson talked the colt's owner Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa into supplementing him for the King's Stand S., and what an inspired move that turned out to be. It takes a good horse to win at Royal Ascot once, but a proper horse to return triumphant, dropped back in trip to the minimum and with...

Bouncing back to the form which saw him win last year's G2 Coventry S., Victorious Racing's TDN Rising Star Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}--Russian Punch {GB}, by Archipenko) survived an inquiry to capture the G1 King's Stand S. to reward Archie Watson's supplementary entry. Always travelling strongly for Hollie Doyle tracking the 7-4 favourite Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) throughout, the 14-1 shot mastered that mare inside the final furlong en route to a length verdict. There was significant interference for the stewards to analyse, as the winner drifted...

Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) was the juvenile star of the opening day of Royal Ascot last year and the G2 Coventry S. winner has been supplemented to return next week in the G1 King's Stand S. for Archie Watson. "I guess Ascot's been pretty big in the storyline of my career," admits the Lambourn trainer, who also won't be short of two-year-old runners at the royal meeting in an attempt add to a record which includes the Windsor Castle S. "Soldier's Call (GB) was obviously our first big winner. I...

Minutes after freshman sire Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) notched his first winner at Leicester, Ballyhane Stud incumbent Soldier's Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) repeated the feat when Archie Watson trainee Dreadpirateroberts (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}--Gangster Squad {Fr}, by Astronomer Royal) graduated in Saturday's Black-A-Moor Inn Half A Mile Away EBF Restricted Novice S. at Ripon. The 85-40 favourite ran second in his Brighton debut last week and broke sharply to seize an immediate lead in this return. In command throughout, he was last to come off the...

Darley's Kildangan Stud resident Blue Point (Ire) (by Shamardal) was off the mark with his first crop on Easter Monday as Salem Rashid Bin Ghadayer's Action Point (Ire) struck at the first time of asking at Kempton for the Archie Watson stable. Confidently supported as the 11-10 favourite for the five-furlong Racing TV/EBF Restricted Novice S., the bay was quickly into stride to track the leader closely under Hollie Doyle and when committed two out stayed on strongly to score by 1 1/4 lengths from Ponga (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). "He...

Amid much ado about the start of the turf season in Britain on Saturday, it is important not to overlook the day's second-most valuable race after the Lincoln. Chelmsford City's Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions S., worth a decent £100,000, is the last of seven races in the European Road to the Kentucky Derby.  Launched in 2019 by the enterprising team at the Essex track, which continues to punch well about its weight on the prize-money front, the Cardinal's three winners to date (there was no race in 2020 during the pandemic)...

Rider Hollie Doyle, who fell after her mount broke down at Wolverhampton on Monday evening, has been diagnosed with a broken elbow and will face a spell on the sidelines. A date to return to the saddle has not been set. A winner of the G1 Prix de Diane aboard Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in 2022, the first female rider to win a Classic was riding Archie Watson's 4-7 race favourite The Perfect Crown (Ire) (Hallowed Crown {Aus}) when he broke down on the final turn. Doyle was up after...

Classic-winning jockey Hollie Doyle is set to see a specialist after sustaining an arm injury in a spill at Wolverhampton on Monday. Doyle was aboard the 4-7 favourite The Perfect Crown (Ire) (Hallowed Crown {Ire}) at Dunstall Park when her mount broke down on the final turn. She will not take up her engagements at Kempton on Tuesday. Doyle, who is the retained rider for Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud, said, "Dr. Jerry Hill [chief medical adviser for the British Horseracing Authority] has got me in to see a...

Few, if any, trainers have been in more consistent form this season than William Haggas, who now finds himself atop the table in Britain, with a strike-rate of 27% for the season. His earnings of £4,611,340 at the time of writing place him narrowly ahead of reigning champion Charlie Appleby. Top of the Somerville Lodge list of horses, and the earner of roughly a third of the yard's prize-money this year, is of course arguably the best horse in the world, Baaeed (GB), around whom continues to swirl uncertainty as...

Hollie Doyle has paid a glowing tribute to Glen Shiel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) after the horse who provided her with a breakthrough Group 1 success was retired on Thursday. The pair combined to strike in the 2020 Champions Sprint on Champions Day at Ascot. However, the 8-year-old suffered a setback in training this season, after which a decision was taken by the connections of the Archie Watson-trained speedster to bring the curtain down on his glittering career.  "He's a star and he is a horse I'll also hold very close...

Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), the brilliant G2 Coventry S. winner, has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up an injury in the G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh on Saturday.  Sent off favourite in that race, Bradsell stumbled leaving the stalls under Hollie Doyle and could only manage fourth behind the ultra-impressive Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never). The injury was confirmed by the colt's trainer Archie Watson in a statement, "Bradsell unfortunately sustained a season-ending injury in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh...

Becoming the first of the TDN Rising Stars to emerge successful at Royal Ascot in 2022, Victorious Racing Limited's Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) conquered a host of talent to win the G2 Coventry S. and make Hollie Doyle Royal Ascot's most successful female rider on three successes. Keen initially from her draw in the centre, the Archie Watson-trained £47,000 Goffs UK Breeze-Up graduate ended up tracking the right rival in Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) to the two-furlong pole. Taking over soon after, the 8-1 shot forged away for a...