Michael Keogh

Growing up in Epsom, England - home of arguably the world's greatest horse race, the Investec Derby, as the son of an assistant trainer, Mike Keogh was almost dentined to forge a career in racing. His first professional role was as a jump rider in his native country in the 1970's. In 1977, Mike visited Canada on holiday. He was soon hooked and made the move permanently across the Atlantic.

In 1986 Mike took up the role of assistant trainer to Roger Attfield, one of the most successful trainers Canada has ever seen. During the next seven years, Mike would gain invaluable experience in working with numerous Canadian champions, including back-to-back Canadian Triple Crown winners With Approval and Izvestia.

In 1993 Mike was head-hunted by leading breeder / owner, Gustav Schickedanz to take up the role as private trainer. Mike proved an immediate success, winning with the first horse he saddled for Schickedanz on August 1 of that year.

Since then, he has experienced some notable highlights. Between 1996 and 1997, Mike saddled Schickedanz homebred Langfuhr to victories in the G1 Vosburgh, G1 Met Mile and G1 Carter H. That strapping dark bay went on to be crowned Canada's Champion Sprinter and has become a successful stallion. On July 22, 1995 he saddled Kathie's Colleen to win the G2 Monmouth Oaks.

Two years later, Mike tasted success in the Queen's Plate, Canada's greatest race, with Schickedanz's Woodcarver, who stormed home in the slop to win by five lengths. He wouldn't have to wait long to savour Plate glory again. The year 2003 was truly a remarkable one for Mike and his team, as they began the year with the Schickedanz duo of Wando and Mobil, two talented sons of Langfuhr who had both won stakes at two. Their dominance continued at three. Between them, Wando and Mobil won all but one three-year-old stake at Woodbine that year.  They finished first and second in the Queen's Plate, and Wando went on to win the Triple Crown en route to Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse Of The Year honours, placing Mike in an elite group of trainers. Later that year, Wando's two-year-old full sister, Six Sexy Sisters, won Woodbine's Ontario Lassie Stakes for Keogh. Mobil would go on to earn a Sovereign Award as Champion Older Horse, winning on dirt and turf, from seven furlongs to 1 1/4 miles.

To date, Keogh has trained five champions, and his more recent graded winners include Last Answer and Hour Of Justice. He is now training publicly and is based at Woodbine Racetrack from April through November.  His string winters at the Aiken Training Track in South Carolina from December to April.