Columbus, OH – Michigan Hall of Fame driver/trainer Merritt “Butch” Dokey, 87, of Plymouth, Mich., passed away Wednesday (Aug. 12).
Born on May 15, 1939, in Kalamazoo, Mich., Mr. Dokey began his racing career as a Quarter Horse jockey. After growing tired of battling to maintain his weight, the 5-foot-6, 130-pound Dokey turned to Standardbreds in the mid-1960s when he went to work for the Joe Marsh Jr. stable in Chicago.
Mr. Dokey, who eventually went out on his own and enjoyed success with prominent owner Bert James, got his first driving win in 1967. Over the course of his career, he captured driving titles at Hazel Park and Wolverine Raceway and was a top driver on the Roosevelt-Yonkers circuit in the 1970s, winning dash crowns at both tracks.
In 1974, Mr. Dokey was the regular driver of Huff N Puff, who was voted the sport’s best older female pacer. The following year, he cracked the top 20 in purses, with $849,575.
Mr. Dokey’s best season came in 1976 when he ranked No. 2 nationally in purses, with $1.89 million, and was No. 5 in wins, with 272. It was the first of 12 consecutive million-dollar seasons for Mr. Dokey, who began to cut back on driving in the late 1980s. At the end of that decade, he ranked 28th in history in purses, with $20.7 million, and 47th in wins, with 3,122.
He continued driving regularly for the next 16 years, averaging 380 starts per season from 1990 to 2005. He finished his career with 3,878 wins and $24 million in purses.
In addition to Huff N Puff, other top horses for Mr. Dokey were stakes winners such as Don’t Dally, Jambo Belle, Isle Of Maui, Luanne’s Jewel, and Social Scandal.
Mr. Dokey was inducted into the Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association Hall of Fame in 2005. His sons Kevin and Mike have also been involved in harness racing as drivers and trainers.