THE Paddy and Jason Kane Memorial was, as ever, well supported last Sunday. The Kane name has been synonymous with trotting in the capital right from the days when the original Paddy Kane raced at Raheny in the 40s and 50s.

Many of today’s brighter stars got their start with a horse from Paddy’s jumble sale. You could buy a diamond or you could buy tin, but they were all advertised as diamonds!

In the early 2018 season Alan Wallace’s name did not feature in the harness racing write-up except to say that he had week after week of poor form.

From early September on the Newtown yard started to fire as the trainer got to grips with respiratory trouble, thought to be caused by rapeseed planted near the yard.

The upturn continued on Sunday as Newtown Shadow (Shadow Play - Onyx Killean) took heat and final of the Kane Memorial.

Shadow led from gate to line in both races. His favourite groom and our esteemed photograper was soo happy screaming him home that she nearly forgot to take the winning photo!

One good point from the poor runs in the early season is that the American-bred will go into 2019 off a very handy mark. Tregaron and Appleby bookies take note.

The victory is all the sweeter for the fact that Liam Wallace still has the dam, a relatively young mare.

The Kelleher’s strongly built mare Pan Cam Drift was a good second in the final having earlier been a convincing winner in 1.59.4 of the B and C grade heat. As so often in the past two seasons driver Luke Kelleher was a wise head on young shoulders.

John Richardson sealed yet another drivers’ title with a treble on the day. His wife Jaqueline Kane will use the generous cheque for €250 generously sponsored by The Irish Field, to buy a bigger sideboard for all John’s awards.

TREBLE

Everybody in the sport acknowledges the hard work JR puts in, and he did learn the job with some ordinary stock in his early days.

At risk of giving the champion (third title in as many seasons) too many column inches, here are the details of Sunday’s treble; Leg one saw Rhyds Shoofly show greater resolve than of late to take the G and G1 pace. On the day it was the turn of House Of Dreams (Billy Roche) to fold a bit tamely having been backed favourite.

John’s second winner, the gelding Dragons Den is another whose problems seem to be behind him. Cathal Kerrigan and Camden Kofi made Dragons Den work for the ‘top’ (the lead) and JR still had enough in the tank to see off Rhyds Boots (Tiernan Loughran).

The third leg of the treble was with the trotting mare Beach De Bellouet. The genuine eight-year-old mare won for the third time in succession and was ‘claimed’ by sharp-eyed Freddie Kavanagh.

The betting market got it wrong here as Beach De Bellouet touched 4/1 while stable companion Star De Fruitier (Noel Ryan) was no bigger than 5/4.

STYLISH DRIVE

The opener saw a stylish drive by Christy ‘Hopper’ Foran aboard Extreme Instant. Hopper gained his nickname due to his energetic finishes at a younger age.

Now a sprightly 60, Hopper showed why you don’t hop about when driving a young trotter. He sat motionless as Extreme Instant touched off Espion Deole (Shane Howard) by an official nose.

Alan Wallace instigated a treble in the higher grade four-year-old trot when Ruairi McNulty’s good-looking Encorelle Du Messi put in a flawless round of trotting. The favourite, Epsom De Corvees (Darren Timlin), has speed to burn but made costly breaks.

“Talented but fragile,” is how best to describe Bolero De La Fye.

Once the liver chesnut gelding got away trotting there was only going to be one winner in the Idcomes Trot for grades C to F. Donal Murphy drove. He has splashed out some of the €30,000 won by Silvano Bello since coming to Ireland on smart looking new colours and helmet!

Speaking of Silvano Bello, the remarkable 12-year-old won his 20th race in Ireland, this time for up and coming driver Oisin Quill. “Fair play to the Murphys for letting me drive him,” Oisin told The Irish Field.

“I was unlucky a few times with this horse.”

Oisin speaks with the same confidence as the young jockeys at Dingle Races, as if every race is his to win, so why wouldn’t he win?

Cool atoned for last week’s gallop at the three quarter pole when he stayed level this time for young Dan McAteer of Randalstown. The home straight must have seemed awfully long to Dan as Donal Murphy (Belkalinja) was bearing down relentlessly, but the Co Antrim gelding held on.

Buster Gilligan’s Aram was the subject of some support in the ring before the clockwise trot. Cheikh De Retz has one of the fastest clocks on his form card of all the recent imports.

Cheikh De Retz must have shown something through the week at Roche’s as he was also backed as if defeat was out of the question in the right-handed race. In the event Buster took Aram to the front and Roche’s new six-year-old could not get to them.

Billy Roche had a Sunday he will want to forget, but the capable reinsman will bounce back.

The meeting had sufficient top grade trotters to stage a ‘Free For All’ i.e. five horses start level on the gate. The race was some spectacle as Kieran Sheehy of Skibbereen sought to make all with Vigo De Bassiere.

MASTER STRATEGIST

John Richardson is the master strategist and obviously though that the trick was to make sure that the Cork runner did not get a soft lead. John pestered the life out of Vigo De Bassiere for most of the 10-furlong contest. Richardson was on Umbratica. However, Vigo De Bassiere is a fresh horse and out ran the chesnut mare, who gave her all as usual.

Abraham, a new import for the Duggans of Galbally stayed on best for second. The dark bay is one to follow as the season comes to an end. Similarly, Banderillero Piya (from the Murphys of Baltimore) caught the eye in the B to D trot.

Commentator Mick Dempsey announced that the season would close on Sunday, November 11th. It is a credit to organisers and horsemen that the entries are holding up well. Ninety five trotters and pacers went behind Mick Behan’s mobile start on the day.

Full results can be seen at www.irishharnessracing.com

GOOD LUCK TO

BILL DONOVAN

IRISH harness racing’s adopted big-time owner Bill Donovan has two fancied runners in the prestigious Breeders Crown at Mohegan Downs (Pocono) Pennsylvania tonight.

The filly You Are My Candy Girl won her elimination (as the Americans call a ‘heat’) on Saturday 20th and the colt Air Force Hanover got through to his final by virtue of a second place in 1.50.

Donovan has stated that his filly is a poor traveller. As the track is ‘only’ two and a half hours from her home barn, this would help her chance.

Each division is for $600,000 with around $6 million up for grabs on the night.

You would fit 5,000 Paddy and Jason Kane Memorials in that!