'We bought nine yearlings last year so to find Lucky Vega was amazing'

The success of Lucky Vega in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday provided Zhang Yuesheng of YuLong Investments, a long-term supporter of the Irish bloodstock industry, with a deserved first Group 1 winner.

Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland manages the racing and bloodstock interests of YuLong Investments in Europe, North America and the Middle East, and is now envisaging a second career for the son of Lope De Vega.

"We have very high aspirations for Lucky Vega at stud and his profile would suit both hemispheres," said Donohoe.

"He's an extremely good-looking horse, has got a great pedigree and is by Lope De Vega, a proven stallion who we've no doubt will become a sire of sires.

"Lope De Vega has done particularly well with his runners in Australia, where he's had numerous Group 1-winning sprinters."

Donohoe continued: "We'd be hopeful Lucky Vega – with his temperament, pedigree and the ability he has shown us – will be one of the flagship stallions for YuLong's stallion operation in Australia.

"He'll be campaigned very much with a stallion career in mind, with the Middle Park and National Stakes two options for him."

Quality over quantity

Remarkably, Lucky Vega was one of only nine yearlings bought by the BBA-YuLong axis at last year's round of sales, having been sourced for €175,000 from Baroda Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale.

Donohoe recalled: "We bought nine yearlings last year, so to land on a horse like this is amazing – we were selective in what we bought but I think we bought well.

"We've a couple of other nice ones that still haven't raced. There is Feeling Tip Top, an Elzaam colt bought for only €8,500 who was second to the Joseph O'Brien-trained Thunder Moon in a competitive barrier trial at Dundalk recently, and colts by Footstepsinthesand and Kodiac.

"The Zoffany colt Sword Zorro has also placed on both his starts and is a nice horse."

Watch replay of Feeling Tip Top's impressive barrier trial run...

On the up

Zhang has made waves in recent years, with Galileo's son Platinum Warrior having become the first Group winner in his distinctive green and white silks. Others to have struck in Pattern company are Yulong Gold Fairy and the Australia colt Leo De Fury, who landed the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes in June.

"We'd be hoping Leo De Fury and Platinum Warrior will make up into Group and Grade 1 horses in time," said Donohoe.

"Platinum Warrior won the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh and then we sent him to America, where he won the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita last February, when Shane Foley flew over to ride him and gave him a great spin.

"He's trained by John Sadler in California and will be aimed at a couple of those mile-and-a-quarter Group 1s at Santa Anita and Del Mar, and then the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland in the autumn. He had a little bit of a setback but is on his way back now."

Zhang Yuesheng (centre): a passionate supporter of the Irish bloodstock industryCredit: Thoroughbred Breeders Australia

Exciting times

Zhang's bloodstock interests extend to Australia, where the YuLong stallion roster is headed by the dual Group 1-winning miler and first-crop sire Grunt.

He was joined by the Orr Stakes scorer Alabama Express this year, while breeding rights have already been secured for the Blue Diamond Stakes hero Tagaloa.

"Mr Zhang first became involved 12 years ago and it took off from there," said Donohoe, explaining how the owner was introduced to racing and bloodstock.

"He was involved in some eventing and showjumping horses in China, so in conjunction with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, he was given a VIP tour of some of the leading stud farms in Ireland and the Curragh, and was shown everything Ireland has to offer from the thoroughbred side of things. He was impressed.

"We're very lucky at BBA Ireland that we struck up a great relationship from the word go. He's been very good to us and to the whole Irish bloodstock industry.

"He's been a fantastic supporter, especially during the whole Covid thing – he's got 35 horses in training in Ireland and has never complained once."

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