Elegantimage appeal overruled
by Melissa Keith
On Nov. 25, the Ontario Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP) released its decision regarding the Elegantimage final. Trainer Susie Kerwood made a formal appeal Oct. 3, after R Dutchess (3, 1:52s; $519,438) was set back from first to last in the Grade 1 race for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Sept. 20, 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
In the HRAP decision, based on a Nov. 7 virtual hearing involving the three affected drivers, panel chair Stanley Sadinsky and members Dr. John Hayes and Pasquale Fiorino found that Louis-Philippe Roy was not responsible for setting off a chain reaction that caused Dexter Dunn’s filly Global Heritage to break stride. Leading up to the moment of interference, R Dutchess and driver Tim Tetrick were outside of Global Heritage and inside Lasting Dream, driven by Roy.
“Into the [first] turn, there is no dispute that R Dutchess moved to her left and interfered with Global Heritage causing Global Heritage to go off-stride and resulting in her finishing last in the race,” the ruling said. “The only issue in the Appeal is whether R Dutchess was forced to the inside by Lasting Dream and should therefore not have been disqualified and placed last behind Global Heritage.”
Video review was a substantial part of the appeal hearing. Footage from various camera angles was displayed at various speeds in order to clarify which filly, Lasting Dream or R Dutchess, was at fault in bearing in. Tetrick and Roy both testified that they did not believe their respective horses initially triggered the interference on Global Heritage.
“There is no question that [Global Heritage] was interfered with by [R Dutchess],” the HRAP decision said. “We have concluded that this interference was caused by the actions of [Tetrick] in failing to prevent his horse from moving to its left notwithstanding his efforts to try to avoid it. While he did not deliberately move to his left, he nonetheless interfered with [Global Heritage]. We have also concluded that [Lasting Dream] did not cause nor contribute to this act of interference. [Roy’s] horse did not contact [R Dutchess], his horse nor his bike, and [Roy] did not cause [Tetrick] to change course. [Roy] remained outside of [Tetrick] at all relevant times.”
The ruling ends the appeal and supports the original Sept. 20 decision of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) judges at Mohawk, which saw place finisher Lasting Dream (3, 1:51.3f; $554,844) elevated to first after going-away winning favorite R Dutchess was set back behind breaker Global Heritage (3, 1:52s; $173,655), who finished last in the Elegantimage final.
R Dutchess is seventh by 2025 purses won by 3-year-old trotting fillies in North America ($347,153). She won the Casual Breeze (G3) and Simcoe Filly (G3) stake divisions at Mohawk for Tetrick ahead of a fourth-place finish for Jody Jamieson in her Sept. 12 Elegantimage elimination. R Dutchess finished second to Hambletonian Oaks champ Conversano (3, 1:51.2m; $617,561) in the Matron Stake (G2) Nov. 15 at Dover Downs.
Doug Paul, consultant for M and L DE/Armitage Farm, reached out to comment about the decision. British Columbia-bred R Dutchess is owned by Armitage Farm Llc of Midway, KY.
“We knew we were in an uphill battle from the start because of the parties involved,” Paul told HRU via email. “We are disappointed that the panel and judges didn’t just base their decision solely on what actually happened on the track which the video evidence clearly showed. These type of races aren’t easy to win. The owners, caretakers and trainers put a lot of money, effort, and pride into racing and for it to be taken away like this doesn’t sit right with any of them.”
The “parties involved” are Lasting Dream’s owner/breeder Determination of Montreal, QC, trainer Luc Blais, and driver Roy. They have all enjoyed success at the Grand Circuit level across North America, while staying focused particularly on Mohawk. Lasting Dream won a Nov. 7 qualifier at the Campbellville, ON track in front-end style for Roy, beating four other trotters in 1:59 in her first charted mile since a sixth-place finish in the Breeders Crown.
While extremely disappointing for the connections of R Dutchess, trained in Canada by Susie Kerwood and John Butenschoen in the U.S., the dismissal of the appeal marks the beginning of the filly’s next chapter.
“Dutchess will be racing next year and I am sure she will have revenge on her mind,” said Paul.
