Graham John Bradley first weighed in (9lb 3oz) on Thursday, 8 September 1960, at 38 Second Avenue on the Hallfields Estate on the outskirts of Wetherby.
Graham was the third child of Norman and Shelia Bradley who had married on 20 February 1954. He had two sisters - Mandy and Jackie - and an older brother, Gary.
He was just nine years old when his mother became desperately ill with ovarian cancer. She died in 1974.
Two years later, Graham began riding work for Tommy Shedden. He was paid £1 for Saturday and 50p for Sunday. In the summer holidays, he rode work for Eric Collingwood at Middleham and Michael Jarvis, who trained a large string at Newmarket.
As his seventeenth birthday approached, and still at school, he had his first ride in public. Trainer Steve Nesbitt had asked Graham's father to ride in a mile-and-six amateur race at Redcar (June 18, 1977) but his father angled for Graham to be put up instead.
Graham and Sweet Slievenamon finished tailed off.
Shortly after, he left school (Wetherby High) and, with the encouragement of Grand National winning jockey Tommy Stack (who had ridden a couple of winners for Graham's father), joined the northern stables of the redoubtable Arthur Stephenson.
Here, Graham spent the next two years learning the ropes: he remained winnerless, but was learning fast.
Again it was time to move on, and it was the yard of Tony Dickinson which beckoned.
Dickinson, known to all and sundry as the Boss, had taken out a licence to train in 1968/69, and had enjoyed remarkable success.
Graham's first ride for the stable came at Worcester on 20 February, 1980. Riding Talon (in place of young jockey Chris Bell whose licence and medical book had failed to arrive), Graham finished a decent third behind Celtic Rambler.
Talon was a slow but massive chestnut with a ton of stamina: on Tuesday, March 11, Dickinson entered it in the Grove Hurdle (worth £504) at Sedgefield. Graham, once again on board, was instructed to make Talon's stamina count. He took up the running two out and came home a four length winner.
Graham, £35.51 better off, was on his way.
The combination won again, at Chepstow, the next month. Three Ways, trained by M W Easterby, was Graham's first win for an outside stable. Political Pop was his fourth and last winner of the 1979/80 season.
From 15 rides had come 4 winners.
The next season yielded 22 winners from 133 after which Graham, at the age of twenty, almost self-destructed.
When the season ended, he - and his great friend and fellow jockey Chris Bell - flew to Magaluf and enjoyed 14 days of great excess. On his return, he weighed 12st 4lb. His career was in deep trouble.
Wisely, he unburdened himself The Boss's son Michael, who had given Graham good advice and encouragement since the jockey's arrival: a meeting was set up with an Irish doctor named Austin Darragh, who had helped other jockeys - Tony Murray, Walter Swinburn - who had found themselves in a similar plight. From then on, the problem was controlled and contained rather than beaten.
When, before the start of the next season, stable jockey Tommy Carmody announced that he would be returning to his native Ireland, Michael announced that he would be replaced by jockeys who already worked for the stable. These included Robert Earnshaw, Chris Pimlott, Kevin Whyte and Graham.
On 27 January, 1982, Graham lost his allowance winning on Manhattan Island for trainer Mick Naughton, but a more significant date had come two months earlier when Graham partnered the enigmatic Bregawn for the first time. On November 28, 1981, Bregawn and Graham sauntered effortlessly around Market Rasen to win by an easy two and a half lengths.
Despite owner Martin Kennelly reservations, Graham kept the ride for that year's (1982) Cheltenham Gold Cup, finishing second to stablemate Silver Buck (Robert Earnshaw).
With 38 wins from 178 ride, Graham won that season's young riders title, but the year was to end badly.
The 1982/83 season started well: Righthand Man won the Charlie Hall Memorial Chase at Wetherby before Graham struck twice on Bregawn, taking the Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow and Newbury's Hennessey Gognac Gold Cup.
Then, disaster.
On November 9, Graham received a two-month suspension for placing a £50 bet on Cloudwalker at Cartmel ten weeks earlier (August 30). His licence was restored on February 5: his first ride back that day was Righthand Man, who won the Selby Chase at Wetherby.
The year's highlight came at Cheltenham on March 17: riding old favourite Bregawn, Graham won the Cheltenham Gold Cup after an exemplary display of front-running.
Another special moment that year was registering his first win at Liverpool: riding Sabin du Loir he took the Fosters Novice Hurdle.
Graham finished that year with 34 winners (a fair total, having lost two months' riding).
Michael Dickinson announced that he would be leaving at the end of the 1983/84 season to take the job as private trainer to Robert Sangster and that Mrs Dickinson (wife of Tony) would be taking over.
That season, Graham won the Dipper Chase on Lettoch and the Castleford Handicap Chase on Badsworth Boy. Other wins came on Browne's Gazzette and Rhyme 'N' Reason.
Graham's greatest number of winners in a season came in 1986/87 when he was first past the post on 53 occasions. He twice rode a total of 52 winners: 1993/94 and 1995/96.
He rode for the last time on 13 November 1999. His mount, Ontheboil, won by five lengths.
On Friday October 1, 2004, Graham Bradley was informed in the High Court that his appeal against a five-year warning-off by the Jockey Club had been rejected. As from Saturday 2 Oct 2004, he was banned from every course and sales ring in Britain, effectively ending his career as a bloodstock agent.
He was also prevented from associating with jockeys and trainers on racing matters.
He had been found guilty in December 2002 of various offences relating to passing privileged information to Brian Wright, the fugitive alleged drug baron.
His original ban of eight years had been reduced on appeal to five.
Graham Bradley
1983: Cheltenham Gold Cup - Bregawn
1996: Champion Hurdle - Collier Bay
Other big winners:
1982: Charlie Hall Chase – Righthand Man
1982: Hennessy Gold Cup – Bregawn
1983: Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle – Sabin Du Loir
1983: Aintree Hurdle – Morley Street
1983: Castleford Handicap Chase – Badsworth Boy
1984: Welsh Grand National – Righthand Man
1984: Castleford Handicap Chase – Ryeman
1985: Irish Grand National – Rhyme ‘N’ Reason
1985: Charlie Hall Chase – Wayward Lad
1985: King George VI Chase – Wayward Lad
1986: Grand Annual Chase – Pearlyman
1986: Welsh Grand National – Stearsby
1987: Sun Alliance Chase – Kildimo
1990: Long Walk Hurdle – Floyd
1991: Charlie Hall Chase – Celtic Shot
1992: Grand Annual Chase – My Young Man
1993: Martell Hurdle – Morley Street
1995: Grand Annual Chase – Sound Reveille
1997: Murphy’s Gold Cup – Senor El Betrutti
1997: Tripleprint Gold Cup – Senor El Betrutti
1998: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – French Ballerina
1997: Grand Annual Chase – Uncle Ernie
1997: Hennessy Gold Cup – Suny Bay
