3 minute read

Hollie Doyle steered Bradsell to a decisive victory in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

A relatively cheap breeze-up purchase at £47,000, Archie Watson's youngster made a big impression on his racecourse debut at York when winning by nine lengths with his head in his chest.

The son of Tasleet had significantly more on his plate stepping up to Group Two level, but proved more than up to the task under his record-breaking rider.

Always positioned wide from his low draw in stall two, Bradsell (8-1) moved smoothly towards the front end with two furlongs to go when Doyle made a bold bid for home.

It proved the right move as her mount soon found top gear to take a couple of lengths out of the field and from that point he never really looked in any danger of being reeled in.

The well-fancied Persian Force did best of the closing pack to fill the runner-up spot, but was a length and a half behind at the line.

Watson said: "I was probably a bit worried when it looked like the near side had won in front, he's had to do it the hard way but he's travelled into it supremely well.

"I said to Hollie to try to get a lead from those around you for as long as possible and that was as far as they took him into the race, he did hit the front two down and it's a long way from home, but he kept going and he's a supremely talented horse.

"It looked like a strong Coventry, I said to my fiance last night that what wins this in daylight will be a very good horse and it looks like he is.

"It's massive, it's our second Royal Ascot winner after Soldier's Call. We had a bad old day here last year when Dragon Symbol was demoted and we subsequently lost the horse, it means a lot."

He added on plans: "He won't be spammed into each and every race. He's won the best Group Two, he'll go to a Phoenix or a Morny I would imagine – if he was to run before it'd be something like a Papin."

Recording her third career win at the meeting, a delighted Doyle said: "I have done most of his work at home and the further he goes the better so I was not too worried when I committed, it was a long way from home (but) I knew he'd keep galloping.

"His instant response surprised me as in his gallops he is a little bit lazy, he turns it on on the track, he hit the line hard and I struggled to pull him up after.

"Off the back performance you'd have to say the world is his oyster.

"It is excellent for the team and great to be on board."