American Mike

The most striking thing about American Mike is what he does at Navan. He has won 3 of his 6 races there — half his entire career wins at a single track. That kind of dominance at one course usually means something: a configuration that suits how a horse moves, or simply a place where everything clicks. Whatever Navan has, American Mike likes it. His former trainer Gordon Elliott once said he was the horse that made him scratch his head more than any other — disappointing one day, brilliant the next — but that "big engine on his day" clearly fires reliably when he arrives at that track.

He raced for Elliott for much of his career before moving to Olly Murphy at Wilmcote in Warwickshire, a yard that has sent out 146 winners this season alone — a busy, well-oiled operation. Murphy has spoken openly about American Mike's potential, noting that the engine is still there and that he wants to give him room to travel and express himself over longer distances. A wind operation has been part of the picture, suggesting the yard have worked hard to get the best out of a horse who, by Elliott's own admission, is not easy to train.

His most reliable partner in the saddle has been Jack Kennedy, who has ridden him to 3 wins from 7 races together — that's 43%, or nearly 1 in every 2 rides. Elliott even credited Kennedy with putting significant work into schooling him, which paid off visibly. When American Mike races against the very top company — Class 1, the highest tier in the sport — he has yet to win in 4 attempts. But he raced just seven weeks ago and won at Perth in April 2026, so he arrives at whatever comes next in form and fit. A horse who frustrates and then dazzles, who has a specialist's grip on one track and a trainer who believes the best may still be ahead — American Mike is worth keeping an eye on.