Marshman is set for a quick reappearance in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York following his impressive win at Thirsk on Friday night, with an ambitious plan being hatched to make the talented youngster champion two-year-old.
The Karl Burke-trained colt caught the eye when overcoming greenness on debut to register a comfortable victory at Ayr, a performance which put him in line for a tilt at the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.
However, an issue on the morning of the race saw him ruled out of the six-furlong Group Two and saddled closer to home for his second start, powering to an imperious eight-and-a-half-length victory at the Yorkshire track.
“We had him in the Richmond at Goodwood and the hope was he would go there and run a big race,” said Nick Bradley, managing director of Nick Bradley Racing.
“He had a bit of an infection in a leg on the morning of the race so couldn’t run there, which may prove beneficial long term.
“We went to Thirsk thinking that would be his final piece of work before the Gimcrack. We expected him to win, but didn’t expect him to do that. But his work at home has always been exceptional and he’s right up there with Karl’s best two-year-olds.
“He’s been working with all the good ones, but Karl can’t really say which is best as all the work is done on the bridle, which happens a lot when you buy from the breeze-ups, as they are trained to run fast over two furlongs. It’s just a case of keeping a lid on them once you have them bought.
“You tend to slow them down rather than speed them up, so we didn’t really know how good he was going into Thirsk, despite working as well as any of Karl’s two-year-olds this year.”
The son of Harry Angel will now be pointed towards Group races for the rest of the season, starting at York on Friday, with Bradley setting himself the target of turning the £38,000 buy into one of this season’s best juveniles.
“100 per cent we’ll go to the Gimcrack. He was sound the morning after Thirsk, he had a slight sore shin, but that sorted itself within a day and he goes to York with a massive chance,” continued Bradley.
“I said to the owners I want to make him champion two-year-old so we have to go Gimcrack and Middle Park and races like that to make it happen.”
Bradley is most commonly associated with shrewd acquisitions of fillies and maximising their on-track potential, so the purchase of such a precocious colt may look slightly against the usual grain.
But Bradley explains how the early-season breeze-up sales allow him to cast his eye over a greater number of prospects, rather than the busy yearling sales, where he concentrates his efforts on unearthing the next Dandalla or Mystery Angel.
He said: “I’m a bit of a one-man band, so at the yearling sales I only really have time to see the fillies.
“But when the breeze-ups come along and they sell 100 horses on one day and then sell another 100 a week later, I have enough time to spread myself between the colts and fillies.
“I thought Marshman breezed really well and I had all the right horses on my list, it was just a case of the ones I could buy. I knew he was a good horse at the sales, he breezed well and came highly recommended.”
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