Longtime Owner Trainer Michael Doyle has Passed

The board of directors of the HBPA and its members are saddened to learn of the sudden passing of popular trainer Mike Doyle on December 4. Mike was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame this past August and was in Florida preparing to retire from a long and successful career of training and managing racehorses. He leaves his wife Deidre, son Marshall and daughter Melissa along with many other family members and friends.

“Mike was a dynamic character and a long-time friend. I had the pleasure of sharing a barn with him and Brent for the past 25 years. He brightened the barn every day and always found the humorous side of any issues. He will be greatly missed at the rail and by everyone on the backstretch.” said Sue Leslie, President of the Ontario HBPA. 

Born into a world of horses in Dublin, Ireland, Mike was immersed in many equine disciplines at an early age, breaking and training jumpers and racehorses while attending school. Mike's father Jack, a trainer and bloodstock agent, wanted his son to try veterinary school, but instead, Mike headed to Canada soon after Jack had returned from a trip to some breeding farms in Ontario.

Mike found work at the famed Gardiner Farms, but it wasn't long before the rush of the racetrack drew him to Woodbine and he got a job with trainer Jim Bentley.

In 1978, Mike was hired as trainer for George Frostad's Bo-Teek Stable and he saddled his first winner that same year. Mike's stable grew quickly from there and among his new clients was the quickly expanding Eaton Hall Farm.

It was for Eaton Hall that Mike purchased the Pennsylvania-bred filly Bessarabian, by top Ontario stallion Vice Regent, for $122,000 from a friend in Ocala, Florida in 1984. Bessarabian was a quick study, winning the Grade 2 Gardenia and Grade 3 Natalma as a juvenile, helping Mike win the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer in Canada. Throughout her career Bessarabian won 17 races, earned over $1 million and was named Canada's Champion Older Mare in 1986.

Mike trained for Bill Graham's powerful Windhaven and won the 1989 Canadian Oaks at Woodbine with his Blondeinamotel.

One of the most memorable seasons for Mike came in 1993 when he guided the American bred colt Wild Gale through the American Triple Crown. A longshot in the Kentucky Derby, Wild Gale was unlucky not to have won the race as Wild Gale missed getting a run up the inside that eventual winner Sea Hero grabbed on his way to victory.

Wild Gale was also third in the Belmont Stakes.

Mike's training career was progressing nicely into the 1990s when he was offered a position to become racing manager for Frank Stronach. Doyle accepted the position in 1994 and worked for Stronach for three years. In that time, the stable moved up in the owner standings each year, and won the 1994 Queen’s Plate with Basqueian, who was trained by Daniel Vella.

Doyle returned to training in 1997 after completing his contract with Stronach and has consistently been among the top Woodbine trainers through the years. He hit a major milestone in October 2014 when he won his 1,000th career race with Evangeline’s Hope. Another notable accomplishment for Mike was helping kickstart the training career of Josie Carroll, a three-time King's Plate winner and a member of the Hall of Fame.

In 2017, Mike played an integral role in the Queen's Plate victory by Stronach's Holy Helena, assisting the filly's American trainer Jimmy Jerkens by stabling her Plate week and saddling her on the big day. A fun and personable Irishman, Mike greeted dozens of fans after Holy Helena's win and even posed for photos.

Mike's peers voted him into the Hall of Fame for 2025 and fittingly, he was presented with his Hall of Fame ring by close friend John Whitson. “Mike was like a brother to me.” said broken hearted friend John Whitson.

At the ceremony, Mike thanked his wife Deidre, "we are a team and always have been, we do everything together" as well as "anyone who ever gave me their horses to train."

At the track, Mike would don his favourite hat and have a wink and smile for everyone. If you were lucky, you would get a hilarious racing tale from years past or even better, a story from his second favourite place to be, the golf course.

Mike sent out the winners of 1,172 races and the earners of over $44 million.