Archie Watson: 'I can see I'm not the most approachable - but I'm essentially a good bloke when you get to know me'
In his first major interview, the prolific trainer tells Lee Mottershead why so much of what people think about him is wrong
High on the Lambourn gallops, Archie Watson looks into the distance as Bradsell moves effortlessly past an ancient oak tree and towards a young trainer whose career is now hallmarked by a Royal Ascot treble not much more improbable than the existence of this interview.
In itself, Bradsell's King's Stand Stakes triumph was perfectly plausible, not least because Watson had persuaded the colt's Bahraini owners to stump up a £35,000 supplementary entry fee for last year's Coventry Stakes hero.
What still seems remarkable is that a trainer without superpower status would end the meeting with three winners, two of them gained in huge-field handicaps and all three returned at double-figure odds.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Copy- 'I was in so much pain - I needed the time off for my mind and my body'
- 'There has been no promotion because there is nothing to promote' - will Premier racing recover from its stuttering start?
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?
- 'There was a moment of rage - but he's a magnificent horse and it suits me that he's passed under the radar'
- 'I was in so much pain - I needed the time off for my mind and my body'
- 'There has been no promotion because there is nothing to promote' - will Premier racing recover from its stuttering start?
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?
- 'There was a moment of rage - but he's a magnificent horse and it suits me that he's passed under the radar'