Bumper contender Mike proving another American beauty for Michael Cullen

American Mike, who will represent a powerhouse combination in next week's Weatherbys Champion Bumper, is also flying the flag for a trainer and a mare who were quite the opposite during their time at the sharp end.

Michael Cullen trained the strapping and unbeaten gelding’s dam, American Jennie, who was bought for just €2,000 as a store and proved the focal point of a small team that he trained at his yard in New Ross, County Wexford.

A winner at up to Grade 3 level as a novice chaser, she went on to some laudable efforts in staying handicaps.

"She was a very, very good racemare for us, she won the Pat Taaffe carrying top weight at Punchestown at the festival," Cullen recalled. "She ran two brilliant races in the Irish National, she was third and fourth and she was 6lb wrong in one of them, it was when Butler’s Cabin won it for Jonjo [O’Neill]."

After her victory in the Pat Taaffe of 2007, when she dug to her depths in a blanket finish, American Jennie remained with Cullen to become a broodmare for a partnership with her racing owners, Louis Murray and Colm Moran.

She produced a couple of daughters early on but it has been slow progress in later years, with only one notable result in the ring when winning hurdler One Fine Man made €110,000.

The shrewd Michael Cullen has concentrated on trading rather than training in recent yearsCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

American Mike was sold for only €20,000 by Cullen’s Whitehorse Stud before catapulting to £195,000 less than a year later as an auction topper at last April’s Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale on the back of an impressive Irish point-to-point win for Sean Doyle.

"I sold him as a three-year-old, he was a fine horse," said Cullen. "Unfortunately for us it was the time of the pandemic, no-one was allowed in the Derby Sale, no English clients, so the Irish boys had it all their own way.

"At the time Mahler wasn’t flavour of the month either, but we’re in the business of buying and selling and we keep selling them, that’s what we do. So he went to the Doyles, they did a great job with him and he earned plenty of money for them."

American Jennie has just passed her 24th birthday but, happily, Cullen reports she is still the picture of health.

"She’s fresh and well, you'd think she was ten and she’s actually 24," he said. "It’s been very difficult to get her in foal, and always has been.

"She has a two-year-old colt or gelding by Jukebox Jury outside, we covered her last year with Mahler looking for a full-brother or -sister to Mike, but it didn’t happen."

Cullen trained the odd other good horse, including another Punchestown winner in Carrig Millie, but gave up a few years ago when it became a struggle to obtain staff and compete with the juggernauts.

"We worked pretty well here until the recession but I had no big owners, the rest were older people or syndicates," he said. "I must admit I’ve a terrible interest, I really enjoyed it, but in the end, if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all."

Trading was always a significant side of the business and among those he has bought as foals and sold later on are a Champion Hurdle winner in Rock On Ruby and fine Grade 1 winners Big Zeb and The Storyteller.

So it is pertinent to hear him say he believes that American Mike, a comfortable winner of two bumpers so far for Gordon Elliott and Bective Stud and currently a general 5-2 second favourite in what appears a fascinating clash with Quevega's similarly unbeaten son Facile Vega, to be "the real deal".

"We’ve sold a lot of good horses," said Cullen. "If he runs well at Cheltenham this time, he’d have some opportunities next season over hurdles as he’s a fine big horse, and even when he goes chasing that’ll be the real deal for him altogether."

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