BBA Ireland

After one start for local trainer Raffaele Biondi that resulted in a runner-up effort in the May 23 G2 Derby Italiano, Juan De Montalban (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is headed back to Britain and to the yard of trainer David O'Meara after O'Meara and his assistant Jason Kelly went a sale-topping €400,000 for the 3-year-old at Arqana's Summer Sale on Thursday. Juan De Montalban (lot 488) had been bought by trainer Andrew Balding for 85,000gns as a Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling, and sold privately to Italy after posting...

Yuesheng Zhang has built up an Irish stable with enviable horsepower while shopping with a relatively modest budget over the last few years. His stable star is undoubtedly last year's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who looks to someday have a future at stud both in Europe and at Zhang's Yulong property in Victoria, Australia. For now, though, connections have set their sights on the May 1 G1 2000 Guineas in Newmarket, with the colt preparing at Jessica Harrington's yard in good nick....

Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) made an impressive U.S. debut for trainer Phil D'Amato by taking Sunday's GIII Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita. Formerly trained by Mick Halford in Ireland, the 3-year-old filly was purchased privately this winter in a deal structured by BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe and Niall Dalton. Gary King caught up with Donohoe on Monday morning to chat about the win. GK: What attracted you to Going Global? MD: Her first run at Limerick really caught my eye and Niall's [Dalton]. We liked her action and...

Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who won the G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. last out, has been privately purchased by Michael Tabor and fellow Coolmore partners, Racing Post reported on Tuesday. Previously owned by Colm Griffin, the grey also gained black-type with a win in the Listed Arqana Irish EBF Marwell S. earlier this season. Trained by Ken Condon, Miss Amulet is targetting the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 26. "I can confirm that Miss Amulet has been sold outright to Michael Tabor and partners for...

On Tuesday, the staff of BBA Ireland received an unexpected but very welcome surprise when a large shipment of face masks arrived from China courtesy of Yuesheng Zhang's Yulong Investments. Zhang, who is developing a worldwide bloodstock empire, has about 60 horses in Ireland between training yards and studs. Wuhan is where much of the racehorse population in China winters, and is also the city where COVID-19 was first reported. With coronavirus cases dropping in Wuhan and restrictions lifting, Zhang decided to turn his focus to his friends abroad in...

LEXINGTON, KY--Michael Donohoe's mid-winter trip to Kentucky was made entirely worthwhile on Tuesday when Enaya Alrabb (Uncle Mo), the Grade I-placed 4-year-old he had purchased as a yearling for the Saudi Arabian-based Enaya Racing, topped Book 1 of the Keeneland January sale on a bid of $640,000 from agent James Schenck. The BBA Ireland agent has bought a handful of horses from the U.S. to run successfully for Enaya Racing in Saudi Arabia, like the three-time Saudi stakes winner Madtap (Tapit), and Donohoe explained that when his client learned he...