PATRICK Kane jnr genuinely could not name just one highlight from the 2024 season. The 38-year-old farrier is in the enviable position that things could not have gone much better last year.

“Harry Knows won in Holland, and he won the All-Ireland. We won The Crock of Gold with Rhyds Superfly and the Red John with Immortal John. Ayroplane won the Vincent Delaney, the futurities and The Little Welsh Dragon. So, I am not boasting when I say we had an unbelievable year.”

Kane was sanguine when pressed about a low point, for example Harry Knows boiled over in the preliminaries for The Sweden Cup. “I didn’t let it annoy me. We were invited and we went. We didn’t harbour serious thoughts of winning, but if he hadn’t played up, we might have gotten a top five finish, who knows.”

Patrick is delighted with Rhyds Superfly’s progress in America (he is four from four) and is full of praise for Shane and Lauren Tritton’s management of the gelding.

Patrick himself won The Irish Field national drivers’ title for the third time since that august publication started to sponsor.

He shares the workload at their Summerhill yard with his brother Mark, an equine dentist and their father Paddy, who needs a cup of tea before and after every task. The team have 12 in for 2025 and Patrick chose to chat about six of his string, starting with the first Irish trained trotter to win in mainland Europe.

HARRY KNOWS (IRE)

8yo g Armstrong Jet – Aurora

We’re more likely to stay at home this year, but never say never. He seemed to run better when he was racing week in, week out last autumn, so we’ll bear that in mind. He might go to Musselburgh, if we are taking some other horses. My father loves him, it’s no wonder as he has been a real ATM for the yard.

KEPI DE CHRISMI (FR)

5yo Very Look – Cosmogenie

My brother Mark owns him with Darragh Mitchell. He made a big impression on his one and only race last year, winning at a fancy price.

He seems straightforward. We start all our new French horses off in an open bridle, knee boots and hind boots and work from there. He is only a Grade E, so he should win races.

AYROPLANE (GB)

3yo g Stay Hungry – Talk Time

There’s nothing as exciting as a fast young pacer. I’d have trouble separating Ayroplane and Rhyds Scoundrel*, who also had a great first season.

He has won off the front and off cover. When they are superior as he is, I like to get to the front, as there’s less to go wrong. He’ll be at all the big dances.

AYRODROME (GB)

2yo f Sweet Lou – Talk Time

Ayroplane’s younger half-sister. She broke herself. She is very laid back and paces with a nice low head carriage. She is 15.3hh already, if anything taller than her brother. We own her with John Ball of London and Josh Grabber of Michigan in the USA.

DAZZLING LOU (IRE)

2yo g Sweet Lou -Dazzler

We bought him at York sales. He was consigned by Dennis Copse from Limerick. He is from the family of Well Said, So Surreal and See And Ski. He wasn’t easy to break and we had no choice but to geld him. He is going nicely now.

THE RISING (IRE)

2yo g Cattlewash – Pixie Camden

I think he is cleverly named, as he was born at Easter. He is the first Cattlewash we have started. He came to hand very easily and the word from the States is they are nice horses to train. He is owned by Buddy Donaghy, who is a great help – very hands-on.

*(Rhyds Scoundrel was the standout colt of his year and was killed in a freak accident at pasture.)

Coleraine’s Walter Stewart has a strong hand

SUCCESS breeds success, so the saying goes. Walter Stewart and his wife Carmel are not just content to breed top-class pacers thanks to their stallion For A Few Dollars More (Ladyford Dollar, Ladyford Buck, Loose Change etc), but also their family are winners on the track. Sons Jimmy, Wattie and Lawrence were all associated with winners in 2024.

The family combined sent out 15 winners last year. Lawrence trained Always Skye to win seven races in the season, which made her ‘unofficial’ Pacer of The Year, although such awards were not celebrated in any way.

Walter is a perfectionist with a horse. The pacers at the yard near Ballyrashane Creamery get 10 weeks road work before he starts utilising the superb beach at Downhill, in the shadow of the Mussenden Temple.

The 68-year-old has raced a litany of champions in a 50-year career: Elwy Bill, Lakeside Fox, Boldrun Buddy, Porterstown Courage, For A Few Dollars More are just some of the top-class campaigners to make the long commute from the Causeway Coast to Dublin and beyond.

Walter believes in keeping horses simply rigged and it was noticeable that, with every horse he mentioned to The Irish Field, ‘wears no unusual equipment’ was a common thread.

Son Lawrence bought the stable star Always Skye in the closed season. Wattie will drive most of the stable’s runners, while he also has Kash and Talavary Huntsville in work at nearby Ballymoney.

ALWAYS SKYE (IRE)

5yo m Always B Miki –Blissful Beauty

She won a bundle of races at home and also The Breeders’ Crown in Wales. Lawrence will race away at her, although she is well up the handicap now. I would guess he’ll breed from her, when the time comes.

BIG BETS (IRE)

4yo g Betting Line – Yankee Lover

A big, growthy type of pacer. A mannerly horse with ability. Ciaran Morrison gave him some track work last year for me. He goes in a 62” hobble. He picked up an injury, so we laid him off. He is entered in the VDM and will only be better with age.

BATTLE FEVER (GB)

5yo m Sweet Lou – She Be Sporty

We bought her from John Gilvear, who also sold us Master Plan, a great campaigner. She has the ‘Sweet Lou blaze’ that they talk about in the States. Her dam went 1.58. She was a bit green last year, so we expect more in 2025.

ON FIRE ALADDIN (USA)

4yo g Sunshine Beach – St Lads Maxie

Lawrence is training for my cousin in Kendal, Jim Stewart. He won a little race at two, but nothing last year. We’ll try to find some improvement in him. Jim comes over often but his first stop is always Portstewart for an ice cream.

CHASING THE DOLLAR (IRE)

2yo For A Few Dollars More – Katie Jasper

He is by my own stallion out of the same dam as Letsgettoit, who was a great mare for Jimmy last year. He is in work with Ciaran Morrison, but it’s still early days.

Large prize fund for IHRA juvenile series

ENTRIES closed last night for the anticipated €122,000 IHRA 2025 Juvenile Series. With €70,000 of added money, including contributions from the Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and €10,000 of breeders’ prizes, the series is an ambitious improvement by the Irish Harness Racing Association.

Each age division will race in three legs from July 13th to September 14th. One committee member told The Irish Field, “we are hoping to attract UK entries”.

We will run a preview once the nominations have been published.