OUTGOING champion John Richardson used to joke that The Irish Field sponsorship cheque kept him in new sets of colours.

The 2021 champion driver Patrick Kane jnr has Eliza (5) and Louie (1) to provide for so the Santa list might take priority over a new set of the well-known Kane red and black overalls.

With a total of 49 wins by Patrick (not counting seven in Britain) The Irish Field silver salver, instigated in 2017, will be leaving Jaqueline Richardson’s sideboard and moving to Rachel Kane’s house near Summerhill.

Kane (35) has driven the winners this year (first and placed money) of over €55,000 with another £18,000 in the UK.

Outgoing leading driver John Richardson commented: “Well done to Patrick. Patrick and Mark and Paddy senior put in an awful lot of work, and he had a great season.”

Patrick is nine clear with only a six- or seven-race card to come tomorrow, so we can safely call him the champion.

Dan Carlin caught up with the full-time farrier during the week.

Dan Carlin: Patrick, it looks like you cannot be caught. Well done. How long have you been driving?

Patrick Kane: I got my full licence in 2002 when I was 15. I actually was leading driver around three times in my early career, but they didn’t always mark the awards very well. I had Denton John Joe at that time.

DC: What was your favourite win of 2021?

PK: There were some great moments. Rhyds Scoundrel in the juvenile series. Harry Knows in the four-year-olds. When Scoundrel won in 1:59 in North Wales, we knew we had a serious horse on our hands.

DC: One that got away, a disappointment?

PK: I don’t want to take away from the winner (The Professor) but on Scoundrel’s last run, we may have given him one race too many.

DC: Anybody you would like to thank?

PK: Obviously the owners. Also my father Paddy and brother Mark, it’s a team thing.

DC: Harry Knows won 12 races this year, any plans for him?

PK: We’ll have to see can he make the transition to open class racing. He was so superior in his age group that he has not been really tested.

In against the older horses you need to be able to leave, get shuffled back and come again and he still has to learn that. He has the ability, it’s whether he can take that step up.

DC: Will Rhyds Scoundrel go to the US?

PK: You could rule nothing out. But my father has waited a long time for a horse like him.

You’d like to think that with a bit of luck he could have a top-grade horse in Ireland for years to come. The prize money looks good in the states but the training costs are very steep also.

The way he was bought, he was in the Graduate sales race where 5% of the commission at York Sales went to a race fund. He cost £7,000 and he won the sales race for £7,000 so he stands my father nothing.

DC: Congratulations once again. It’s good for the sport to see a new name on the silver salver.