Michael Owen was very busy at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, where he bought five lots with trainer Hugo Palmer
Michael Owen bought five yearlings
Michael Owen splashed out buying five yearlings(Image: Tattersalls Ireland)
View 2 Images
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen splashed out on more than £460,000 in one day as the ex-England international bought new horses for his successful racing stable.
The former forward was very active on the first day of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, where five lots were knocked down to his team. Owen has invested time and money in another passion, horse racing, since retiring from football, having established Manor House Stables in Cheshire.
The 46-year-old won his first Classic with Brown Panther, a horse he also bred, when he captured the Irish St Leger in 2014 and secured his richest top-level victory in August this year. That win saw Glacius, trained by Hugo Palmer, capture the £550,000 Saratoga Derby in the US.
Owen, Palmer and bloodstock agent Ed Sackville were in Ireland on Tuesday looking for future talent to join his 135-horse stable. The trio came away with five yearlings, including the day’s top lot, a son of 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean, who was bought for £180,000. The team also secured two colts by Mehmas, one by New Bay and a filly by Starman.
*FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page*
Speaking to Tattersalls, via the Mirror, Owen said: “We bought a couple of Mehmases. The one we bought for €125,000 was vert very nice, just looked a strong, typical son of the stallion.
“We’ve had luck with Mehmas here before with Adaay Of Scarlett who has run really well this year for us. It’s always nice to go back to a proven source and we just loved him as a horse. He looks fast.
Michael Owen bought lot 231 for £180,000
Michael Owen bought lot 231 for £180,000(Image: Tattersalls Ireland)
View 2 Images
“It means we feel that we can buy the horses we think are the best – we are coming here with a good chance.
“We’ve been flying along. It’s nice. We are up on prize-money more so than winners, which is obviously good.
“We have tried to target the festivals a little bit more and some bigger races and everything’s going nicely. Every season we sort of try to make another step so we are already preparing for next season now.”
Reflecting on his yard, he added: “It’s been a long time in the making. I bought it as an old arable farm about 23 years ago, put in a gallop, a little trotting ring and 20 boxes, and off we went.
Get YOUR Liverpool FC Newsletter
Get the best Liverpool FC news and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Echo!
Yours in just two simple steps.
Head This Way
Enter your email and hit Subscribe.
“It’s unrecognisable compared to back then. We’ve got all kinds now and are still wanting to develop, still wanting to make it bigger and better. It’s my passion, it’s my little baby and I want to keep going.”
Palmer has trained 44 winners of £1.3 million in Britain this year, including successes at the Epsom Derby meeting and Glorious Goodwood. Last year, the stable had 70 wins and a prize-money haul of £1.5m.
Article continues below
He said: “What excites me about Chaldean is that he, like Frankel, was a champion two-year-old.
"This sale has been so good to me as a trainer – my first stakes winner came from here, and then there has been Galileo Gold, Hawksmoor, Adaay Of Scarlett and Sale Shark. I love the fact that we can come here and feel that we can buy any horse in the ring, which we can’t really do at any other sale.
“It means we feel that we can buy the horses we think are the best – we are coming here with a good chance.”