Beginning his life on the Flat in
County Westmeath, Ireland, Broderick was born on 1 September 1939, the day the
Second World War began. In June 1954, at the age of 14, he won on his debut ride, the Pipe Band, at
Navan. He was an apprentice under Cyril Bryce-Smith. After Broderick moved from Ireland to Britain, he began riding for northern trainer Arthur Stephenson, The Thinker's Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer, and it was he who advised Broderick to adopt the long-reined policeman-style of riding. Along the line, he was said to have met his wife, Nan, in Britain. The trainer and jockey had a fruitful partnership yielding many winners including the
Welsh Grand National on Rainbow Battle in 1964 and the
Mackeson Gold Cup on Pawnbroker in 1964. Broderick rode 459 winners in 17 seasons in Britain but in an interview in 2001, he said that by far the best horse he ever sat on was
Night Nurse. At the 1977 Boxing Day meeting at
Kempton Park, Night Nurse parted company with Broderick at the last fence with victory a certainty gifting Beacon Light the race, Sadly, the injury Broderick received from the crashing fall, resulted in his retirement from the sport. ==Night nurse total wins==