Palmer and Owen spend €537,000 as Chaldean colt tops Tattersalls Ireland opener

Hugo Palmer and owner Michael Owen, working through bloodstock agent Ed Sackville, spent €537,000 on five yearlings during Tuesday’s opening session of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

Their purchases were headed by Lot 231, a Chaldean colt secured for €210,000 after the group outbid trainer Ken Condon. The price was the highest recorded at the sale since 2020 and made the partnership the session’s leading buyer by aggregate and lots purchased.

“The three of us just thought he was an incredibly nice colt,” Sackville said after the sale. “I think any time you have what you perceive to be a nice horse, you have to expect to pay!”

Palmer linked the purchase to Chaldean’s juvenile record and his own success sourcing horses at Fairyhouse.

“What excites me about Chaldean is that he, like Frankel, was a champion two-year-old,” Palmer said.

Chaldean won the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at two before taking the Group 1 2,000 Guineas. The son of Frankel had shuttled to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand since 2024.

His first southern hemisphere foals have attracted strong demand. A colt from the Showcasing mare Novashow topped the 2026 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale at NZ$250,000, as covered in The Straight’s sale report.

Tattersalls Ireland sold 212 of 250 yearlings during the opening session for turnover of €8,841,500 and an 85 per cent clearance rate. The average was €41,705, the median reached €34,000 and 15 lots made at least €100,000.