a force of nature at the sales.
I knew Joss for many years, a great guy. I worked for the Irish branch of the BBA as an intern. The article is well written and a very nice tribute to him. Hard to believe he’s been gone so many years now.
The BBA (British Bloodstock Agency) Was a powerhouse agency for many decades. Unlike this country the majority of owners/buyers do not spend a dime without using an agent/agency. They are VERY loyal to their agents as are the agents to to them.
The BBA grew and grew in the 70’s 80’s and were by far the biggest and best international agency in the world. Then they were approached by “Wall Street” types that convinced the directors to take the company public. Everything went well for a few years until world economic forces put the horse business into a tailspin and it was forced into bankruptcy and liquidate.
The Irish branch, BBA Ireland was bought and became independent and is still one of the leaders of the pack to this day. Tom Copper’s son Patrick ( a director of the BBA Ire who is mentioned in the article and died at an early age) is a director of the BBA Ire his other son Allen has been the racing manager for Flaxman Holding’s ( Maria Niarchos-Gouazé) for many years. Their sister is Diana has worked for Sheikh Mohammed for many years. Quite a legacy and a tribute to the Mr. Cooper and the BBA Ireland.
