American Mike (Ire) (Mahler {GB}) (lot 8), the 20-length winner of a maiden point-to-point at Cork on Apr. 10, topped the Tattersalls Cheltenham April Sale relocated to Newmarket on Friday when selling to Bective Stud and Gordon Elliott for £195,000. Elliott, who is currently serving a six-month ban from training after a photo of him sitting astride a dead horse surfaced on social media in March, signed alone or in partnership for three of the top four lots at the sale.
American Mike was sold by Monbeg Stables, and Elliott also signed for the sale's second-top lot, Cool Survivor (Ire) (Westerner {GB}) (lot 29) (£175,000), who won the second division of American Mike's maiden race, and fourth-top lot Ash Tree Meadow (Fr) (Bonbon Rose {Fr}) (lot 21) (£135,000) from that draft, the latter in conjunction with Aidan O'Ryan. Splitting those was Coachman (Fr) (Maresca Sorrento {Fr}) (lot 25), who was scooped up by Marcus Collie and Oliver Signy Racing for £140,000.
The final horse to reach six figures was Milestone Stables's Chianti Classico (Ire) (Shantou) (lot 17), an Apr. 11 maiden point-to-point winner at Tipperary who cost Aiden Murphy and Kim Bailey £105,000.
Upon conclusion of trade, 32 horses were sold on Friday from 35 offered for £2,148,000, at an average of £67,125 and a median of £52,500.
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