The Raceway at Western Fair District celebrated another exceptional season of harness racing on Saturday, Feb. 21 as horsepeople, owners, caretakers and supporters gathered in the Top of the Fair dining room for the annual awards night, honouring the top performers of the 2025 campaign.

The evening highlighted excellence across all divisions, with standout horses and horsepeople recognized for their achievements throughout a memorable season in London.

The spotlight shone especially bright on Ladies From Hell, who not only repeated as Aged Pacing Mare of the Year, but was also honoured with The Raceway’s top prize as Horse of the Year. The popular pacing mare put together another impressive double‑digit-win season, scoring 10 victories and earning $67,420 across all tracks for owners Shae and Michael Sumner of London, Ont. Her consistent form and fan-favourite presence made her the clear choice for the track’s highest honour.

Another repeat champion, The Great Reset, retained his title as Aged Trotting Horse of the Year. The trotting track record holder posted 18 top‑three finishes from 31 starts across all tracks in 2025, collecting $46,124 for owners Lorne House of Dutton, Ont. and Chantal Ruijs of Georgian Bluffs, Ont.

On the human side, Austin Sorrie had a memorable season at London on his way to the national dash-winning title. Sorrie led the country with 404 wins and recorded a career-high $2.7 million in purse earnings. He tallied 155 of those victories at The Raceway, earning him his first driving title in London.

Trainer Lindsey Kerr also celebrated a huge night with two divisional winners as well as taking home her first London training crown. Kerr had a career season, posting 83 wins, $544,703 in purse earnings, and a stellar .373 UTRS across all tracks. Sixty of her wins were recorded locally.

The Caretaker of the Year, a special award recognizing the dedicated individuals who serve as the backbone of every racing operation, featured two recipients this year with co-winners with Matilda Shephard and James Johnston taking home the hardware. The Ruth Herbert Horsewoman of the Year award was also presented and went to well-known local horsewoman Pam Forgie.

The horse category awards were based on the leading money winners in each division who made a minimum of six starts at The Raceway during the calendar year, except the claiming categories which were based on the number of claiming wins at The Raceway during the calendar year.

The complete list of 2025 winners is listed below.

2025 Award Winners

Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt – Cleveland Royalty
Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly – Royal Flush Magic
Aged Trotting Horse – The Great Reset
Aged Trotting Mare – April Duford 
Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt – Silverwalls
Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly – Twin B Bodacious
Aged Pacing Horse – Prestige Seelster
Aged Pacing Mare – Ladies From Hell 
Claiming Trotter – O Narutac Perfetto
Claiming Pacer – Letjimitakeover
Rookie Performer – Liquor Talkin 
Leading Driver – Austin Sorrie
Leading Trainer – Lindsey Kerr
Leading Owner – Colonel Schneider Jr. 
Caretaker of the Year – Matilda Shephard & James Johnston
Ruth Herbert Horsewoman of the Year – Pam Forgie 
The Raceway’s 2025 Horse of the Year – Ladies From Hell

(Western Fair District; photo of connections of Ladies From Hell accepting the Horse of the Year trophy)