‘A young jockey named Walter Bradford who finishes his apprenticeship at the end of the present year, is said to be the most brilliant light-weight horseman at present in England.’
So began an article in the Marlborough Express (New Zealand) in 1893 but, sadly, within six years, increasing weight had forced the young jockey out of the saddle.
Walter Bradford was born in Newmarket. He became apprenticed to Tom Jennings Jnr at Phantom House and rode his first winner – Dulce Domun (10/1) - on Friday October 11th 1889 in the Juvenile Handicap at Newmarket. He had his best season in 1893 winning 110 races including the Lincoln on Wolf’s Crag and the Cambridgeshire on Molly Morgan. His first National Hunt winner was on Gol Dee at Chelmsford in 1902.
He won his first two Classics, the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks, in 1894 on Amiable, a bay filly that suffered from ‘stringhalt’ (a muscular condition) in both hind legs causing her to walk ‘as if treading on hot coals’. It didn’t, however, impair her running. She won the first by three lengths at 100/8 and the second ‘without effort’ at 7/1.
In a terrific season, he was also aboard the 20/1 Cesarewitch winner Childwick.
Walter broke his leg in a fall at Huntingdon (1896) and was off the course for three months. He bounced back the following year with another Oaks victory, riding the front running Limasol. He also took that season’s Hardwicke Stakes on Bay Ronald. His good fortune in the Oaks victory continued when, the very next year, he rode Airs and Graces.
After an all too brief career in which he had ridden 531 winners from 3,609 mounts (14.7%), Walter retired in 1899 to pursue his hobbies – outside horse-racing he was a keen gardener and motorist.
He spent eight years as a churchwarden at Woodditton.
Born at Newmarket on April 9, 1875, Walter died at his home – Ronald House, Park Avenue, Newmarket on Wednesday afternoon, August 19th 1942. He was 67 and left £9,236.
His wife, the former Miss Laura Drake, survived him. He left no children.
Walter Bradford was interred at Newmarket Cemetery.
Walter Bradford’s classic wins:
One Thousand Guineas: Amiable (1894)
The Oaks: Amiable (1894), Limasol (1897) and Airs and Graces (1898)
