Jack Doyle to be crowned joint American Champion

Jack Doyle, who is the son of well-known handler Pat Doyle has made quite a name for himself in American steeplechasing.

The Co. Tipperary native began his career in the 2005-06 season and won over 200 races while he was stable rider to trainer Emma Lavelle across five seasons.

In 2014, the young rider decided to travel across the water, the plan being to go over for the summer, however when landing two winners in that period, one of which was a Grade one success, the plan changed, and he has been there ever since.

Doyle has enjoyed many successful seasons since, and in 2016, it looked like he was set  to securing the Champion title when in front in September, only to get hurt at Belmont and miss the rest of the season. Meanwhile, last year was his closest having had to settle for second by just a single winner.

Going into the second last weekend of the 2019 American season, he had won 20 races from 100 rides and he looked like he was on track to finally reap the rewards of his hard work, but having sustained a severe injury to the jaw in the final race at Callaway on Saturday he was ruled out of riding in the final meet of the season in South Carolina.

That fall saw him initially transferred Piedmont Columbus Regional Medical Centre near the Pine Mountain course, before he was subsequently transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Centre’s Shock Trauma Centre in Baltimore for surgery on Monday.

British-rider Michael Mitchell was Doyle’s closest rival in the battle for the title and he had got off to a great start with a lead of six wins during the spring, only to have a quiet summer, allowing Jack to close in on his lead. The pair had been level on 16 wins from September and swapped places on the leaderboard until Doyle gained the lead at the beginning of this month when moving to the 20-winner mark.



Mitchell drew level again when winning the last stakes race of the year in Georgia last Saturday, but when hearing of the injures Doyle sustained in the final race and him being ruled out to ride at the final meet, Mitchell in a wonderful act of sportsmanship, also ruled himself out in order to share the title.

Doyle’s final success of the season was secured aboard the former John Gleason inmate Just Wait And See at Pennsylvania the weekend previous in a $20,000 timber contest over three miles.

Just Wait and See is a ten-year-old son of Acambaro who won a maiden at Ballysteen in 2016 at the 16th attempt and achieved his finest hour at the 2018 Punchestown festival winning the Ladies Cup for the father and son team of John and Billy Gleason.

Soon afterwards he was sold to the US where is now trained by Richard Valentine and owned by Kinross Farm. On Saturday Irish rider Jack Doyle was again in the plate, and the pair came home eight lengths clear to collect the $12,000 first prize.

So far in 2019, Just Wait And See has run five times, has won twice and been placed on a further two collecting no less than $41,000 in prize money for connections.

Best wishes to Jack in his recovery!