Doyle Staying in Alberta

Track announcer Sugar Doyle has agreed to a three-year-deal to stay in Alberta

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"Loyalty is huge to me and they have shown it to me here," said Doyle to thehorses.com.

Reaching the decision ends a long week for the 39-year-old, who had offers from two provinces for his services. "I lost two years of my life (this week)," cracked Doyle on the toll the stress took. The deal means Doyle will call harness racing in Grande Prairie this summer and at Northlands Park this fall. If there is a meet in Lacombe this spring, he will be at the microphone after working in the race office as an assistant in the morning.

"I had people coming up to me all week saying: 'Hope you stay and we love you as family,'" remarked Doyle, who left the Maritimes to come to Northlands Park as the harness caller in the spring of 2006. Doyle isn't commenting on what other racetrack in another province was in the hunt for his services - but a conversation with ASHA executive director David Kincade played a pivotal role in the announcer's decision.

"I'm happy Sugar is staying - but I'm more happy Sugar is happy to be staying," said Kincade. The competition for Doyle started on Monday when news leaked that Grande Prairie hadn't offered a contract to him for the summer/fall meet. That news prompted another track from outside the province to jump forward with an offer. A contract offer to call races in Grande Prairie officially arrived on Wednesday - but that is when the negotiations really started to heat up.

"People have been leaving harness racing for better offers and somebody is now staying to create a better industry," said Northlands Park chief racing executive Les Butler. "Maybe it is a trend that will continue."

(HRA/thehorses.com)