'Sugar' To Join Middleton For O’Brien Awards

Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce that Ken Middleton and Shannon 'Sugar' Doyle will co-host the 2011 O’Brien Awards

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The O’Brien Awards will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.

Middleton, the Woodbine Entertainment Group’s standardbred race announcer, has been a regular anchor at the O’Brien Awards. This marks the ninth consecutive year that he will co-host the event.

Shannon 'Sugar' Doyle, the voice of harness and thoroughbred racing at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alta., is looking forward to his very first O’Brien Awards.

Sugar, as he was named by the kids of a minor hockey team he coached in Summerside, PEI where he grew up, has been involved with harness racing for over 30 years as a fan, owner/caretaker and driver on the PEI matinee circuit.

He’s managed to turn his dreams into reality. As a teenager he dreamed of one day becoming a harness driver or track announcer. He announced his first pari-mutuel race in Charlottetown, in January 2006. A month later, he joined Edmonton Northlands as its harness racing announcer. He also picked up some gigs as the seasonal track announcer at Grande Prairie's Evergreen Park (2008-2009) and Lacombe's Alberta Downs (2009).

Doyle has been the full-time track announcer for both breeds of horse racing at Northlands Park since 2010.

For more information on the O’Brien Awards, click here.