Mike Zwiesler, trainer for Lane's End, dies at 58

Mike Zwiesler, who was a trainer and assistant for Lane’s End Farm during a lengthy and distinguished career working with Thoroughbreds, died early Saturday at his home near Tampa, Fla., after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 58.

Zwiesler, who grew up in Ohio as the son of a horse owner, began working under trainer Neil Howard in 1980.

“When he walked into my barn at River Downs, it was one of those things where we kind of became family right away,” said Howard, the trainer of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. “Mike was just a great friend and horseman.”

In 1999, Zwiesler moved to Delaware to work for the Lane’s End Farm of Will Farish and for Bayard Sharp, Farish’s father-in-law. During a 12-year stint, Zwiesler won 175 races, including 18 stakes, for stable earnings of nearly $4.1 million. Among his best horses were Shag, Mumbo Jumbo, Summer Cruise, Stay Close, and Rock Candy.

Zwiesler is survived by his wife, Susan, and daughter, Kat. The body was to be cremated, with a memorial service tentatively planned for early October in Lawrenceburg, Ind.