Bradley vows to fight

Graham Bradley has pledged to fight to clear his name after the Jockey Club suspended his riding licence.

The Gold Cup winner was close to tears after yesterday's devastating decision which came after he was charged with conspiracy to cheat earlier this week.

The Jockey Club insisted that the three stewards responsible for making the decision had not made any judgment on whether Bradley was guilty of the charge as laid.

But they felt it was inappropriate for a licensed jockey to continue race riding, bearing in mind the gravity of the charge against him.

Bradley (38), had come to the hearing with his fiancee, Amanda Wilson, Jockeys' Association executive manager Michael Caulfield and solicitor Peter McCormick.

He faced the three stewards - Gurney Sheppard, David Oldrey and Michael Wyatt - for over two hours and eventually emerged to tell the media: "I'm very disappointed and very surprised at the outcome.

"I know that I'm totally innocent and I've done nothing wrong. I'm going to fight and fight for as long as it takes. I'm super confident that it will all be done as soon as possible."

Bradley's only recourse of appeal is in the High Court, but the costs of fighting a case there would be astronomical.

He will be talking things over with his solicitor over the next few days before deciding what course of action to take.

Bradley had been summoned to a meeting with the Jockey Club as a result of his appearance at Bow Street Magistrates' Court last Wednesday.

He was bailed to reappear at the same court on June 9th on a charge of conspiracy to cheat in connection with the running of Man Mood in the Oliver Cromwell Handicap Chase at Warwick on November 5th, 1996.

Man Mood, the odds-on favourite, was pulled up by Bradley, leaving the only other runner, Drumstick, to come home alone.

The stewards at Warwick found nothing untoward about the race, but the Jockey Club investigated when they received complaints about irregular betting patterns.

"In the light of the information the Jockey Club decided not to hold an inquiry," said spokesman John Maxse.

But then police mounted an investigation into race fixing and the Jockey Club passed them the information about the Man Mood race.

Under the terms of the Jockey Club ban, Bradley is excluded from weighing rooms, dressingrooms, sampling rooms, unsaddling enclosures, parade rings and stable yards on racecourses.

But he will be able to continue in other aspects of the sport.