Bradsell put in a powerful finishing kick and won the Flying Five Stakes (G1) on Sunday at The Curragh on the second day of the Irish Champions Festival.
Flying Five Stakes: Securing a Spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
While the Flying Five was a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In’’ race, the 4-year-old England-bred had already earned an automatic berth in the BC Turf Sprint (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 2 by winning the Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York on Aug. 23.
BRADSELL🇬🇧2020
(TASLEET – RUSSIAN PUNCH BY ARCHIPENKO)#Bradsell
Flying Five Stakes G1
The Curragh
5f
€400,000 pic.twitter.com/7Cr6R5I0km— HORSE RACING 100 (@HORSERACING1002) September 15, 2024
Ridden by Hollie Doyle, Bradsell improved to 3-0 in 2024. The colt trained by Archie Watson did not race for 11 months before returning with a win in Deauville on Aug. 4.
Believing, a 4-year-old filly who ran second in the Nunthorpe, also closed with a rush to finish second again to Bradsell in the six-horse field.
“He’s quick. It was an easy five [furlongs] at York, but he’s just proven how good he is, and it wasn’t a one-off,’’ Doyle said. “We’ve run here twice before and haven’t had the luck of the draw, but he’s never been in better form, he’s improved with age and got stronger and quicker.
“These sprinters do improve with age and he’s in a really good place mentally. He could go to the Abbaye or the Breeders’ Cup.”
Winning time was 57:25 over a course listed as good.
Lake Victoria wins Moyglare for 2-year-olds
In the other Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In’’ race at The Curragh, Ireland-bred Lake Victoria topped Simmering in the 7-furlong Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) for 2-year-old fillies and earned an automatic berth into the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) on Nov. 1.
Lake Victoria, an unbeaten daughter of Frankel and winner of the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3) for trainer Aidan O’Brien, was ridden by Wayne Lordan and shot from last to first in the final 110 yards in the field of five.
“She’s a lovely filly. She has a bit of pace, she can quicken, and she got to the line well,’’ Lordan said. “I didn’t know whether she had the experience … I was hoping for a big run, and she stepped up on the day.”
Lake Victoria, 3-for-3, covered 7 furlongs in 1:23:73.