Woodbine Mohawk Park: Lasting Dream placed first in Elegantimage final

Following a lengthy inquiry focused on interference in the first turn, runner-up finisher Lasting Dream assumed the top spot with the disqualification of 4-5 winner R Dutchess in the Grade 1 C$375,000 Elegantimage final for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Louis-Philippe Roy fired Lasting Dream out of post 10 and barreled forward, with R Dutchess sprinting to her inside approaching the first turn. R Dutchess, sandwiched between Global Heritage to her inside and Lasting Dream trying to cross to the outside, reached for a slot at the pylons in tight quarters and touched her wheel against Global Heritage, causing that rival to lose stride. R Dutchess nonetheless settled into fourth with Lasting Dream nestling ahead in third.

R Charm found smooth sailing to push for the lead into a 27 second first quarter but soon relinquished control to Highlandstarburst moving for the backstretch. R Dutchess abandoned her seat in fourth and brushed forward to take the lead heading to a 56 3/5 half. She cruised through the final turn under a snug hold and received a couple whip taps nearing three-quarters in 1:25.

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Spinning for home, R Dutchess cruised in the stretch sprint as Lasting Dream advanced through a seam at the inside to finish second best - before the disqualification - by 2 1/2 lengths, trotting her mile in 1:53 1/5. Highlandstarburst and Stormont Beautiful finished in a dead-heat for second after placings and Xalapa inherited fourth. The judges placed R Dutchess last in the 11-horse field for interference to Global Heritage in the first turn.

Luc Blais trains Lasting Dream, a 3-year-old filly by Cantab Hall out of the Muscle Hill mare Dream Together, for owner-breeder Determination. The filly collected her sixth win from 20 starts and has now pocketed C$746,656 into her coffers. Off the fourth choice in the betting, she paid $22.80 to win.

--by Ray Cotolo for Woodbine Mohawk Park--