Barbadian-born British trainer who won ten British championships and six Epsom Derbies over a 52-year career, most famously with the record-breaking Shergar in 1981.
Sir Michael Ronald Stoute was born on 22 October 1945 in Barbados, the son of the island's Chief of Police, and left for England at 19 to work as an assistant to trainer Pat Rohan. He obtained his own training licence in 1972, saddling his first winner, Sandal - owned by his father - at Newmarket that April. Stoute's career reached a defining early peak in 1981, when Shergar, owned by the Aga Khan, won the Epsom Derby by a record ten lengths under 19-year-old jockey Walter Swinburn, before adding the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes; the horse's fame only grew after his infamous 1983 kidnapping from stud, presumed carried out by the IRA, and he was never found. Shergar's exploits helped Stoute win his first championship that year, beginning a run that would see him crowned British champion trainer a total of ten times through 2009, a tally bettered only by Alec Taylor in the sport's history. Stoute went on to train six Epsom Derby winners in total - Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004), Workforce (2010), and Desert Crown (2022) - becoming, at 76, the oldest trainer ever to win the race with the last of these. His international success included eight Breeders' Cup victories, the Dubai World Cup, two Japan Cups, and the 2010 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Workforce, whose Derby time remains a course record. Stoute was knighted in 1998 for his promotion of sports tourism in Barbados, and became just the third trainer, after Vincent O'Brien and Henry Cecil, inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame. He announced his retirement in September 2024 at age 78, closing out a 52-year training career with over 4,100 British winners.
Training the record-breaking Shergar to Epsom Derby glory in 1981, part of a career that produced ten British champion trainer titles and six Derby winners
How They Played
Patient, meticulous trainer renowned for his skill developing older horses and preparing them for international competition, valued by owners for his understated, deeply focused approach
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the greatest trainers in the history of flat racing, whose sustained excellence across five decades and international success established him among the sport's most respected figures worldwide
Career Honours
- 10x British Champion Trainer (1981-2009)
- Trained 6 Epsom Derby winners, including Shergar's record-breaking 1981 win
- 8x Breeders' Cup Winner
- Knighted in 1998