Kevin Doyle: Former Premier League striker chasing Cheltenham Festival glory with Augusta Kate and La Bague Au Roi
Reading, Wolves and Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle now runs Slaney River Stud in Wexford, where he has former Grade One-winning mares Augusta Kate and La Bague Au Roi; watch Unbridled On Tour on the At The Races YouTube channel
Friday 31 July 2026 11:06, UK
Former Premier League striker Kevin Doyle would rather breed a Cheltenham Festival winner than relive the best goal of his career.
Since retiring from football, the Republic of Ireland international has been focused on creating the next generation of jumps racing stars, with considerable success already.
Having purchased Grade One-winning mares Augusta Kate and La Bague Au Roi, Doyle's Slaney River Stud has already produced multiple winners.
Doyle's interest in horses and the breeding industry came from his father Paddy, who bred Cheltenham Festival winner Holywell at the family stud. Now, Kevin is hoping he can follow in his father's footsteps.
The Unbridled podcast duo of Matt Chapman and Paddy Brennan are on tour this summer and headed over to Ireland to visit the former Reading and Wolves goalscorer.
"This is what gets me up in the morning now," Doyle explained. "I want a Cheltenham Festival winner now. I've done that [scoring goals]. That's an easy answer.
"Cheltenham is the one you want on the CV. If Holywell was bred here, why not another one?
"You have to hope, horse breeding is just hope. You're doing your best, you have all your routines, but who knows? It's a tough game."
Asked which of his former team-mates he would take with him to Cheltenham for a day out, Doyle added: "John O'Shea. He knows his horses and he'd have the craic and a few pints.
"We were in a syndicate together when we were players and John was the organiser but it wasn't the most successful! The one time a horse we had won, we didn't know it was running!"
Doyle has just over 20 horses on his 40-acre farm, including a Poet's Word colt out of Augusta Kate and recently sold a two-year-old Crystal Ocean gelding out of Augusta Kate to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm in France.
Dual Grade One winner La Bague Au Roi is also a promising broodmare prospect for Doyle, having survived a freak life-threatening injury at the yard.
"She tripped over her foal, broke her leg and was in hospital for four months. Her chances of surviving the surgery were about five per cent, but she did, she's tough as nails. A normal horse wouldn't be able to come through what she has."
La Bague Au Roi's story very much epitomises the challenging and risky nature of breeding racehorses. But, Doyle does it for the love of the game, not money.
"It costs an awful lot of money to breed horses. I wouldn't be doing it if it was about making money. It's a labour of love.
"Some years you might make some money, but the majority of years you're doing it because you enjoy doing it. There are definitely years where you lose plenty of money.
"Football has allowed me to do this. I wouldn't own Augusta Kate or La Bague Au Roi without it.
"This isn't the most commercial thing in the world and I'm not doing it to make fortunes. You're doing it because you love horses."
Watch Unbridled On Tour in full on the At The Races YouTube channel.
