by Mike Sardella, for Saratoga Casino and Raceway

Saratoga Springs, NY — Locally based trotter Royal Deceptor (RC Royalty) scored a front running victory in one of the two top flight New York Sire Stakes races for 3-year-old male trotters on Wednesday night (Aug. 19) at Saratoga.

Melissa Simser photo

Royal Deceptor was a 1:57 winner in NYSS action at Saratoga.

Mickey McGivern pilots the Cheryl McGivern trainee and moved the 3-year-old out to the early lead in his $79,687 division of the Sire Stakes on Wednesday. The public’s third choice in the wagering at odds of 5-2 in the five-horse field, Royal Deceptor felt only mild pressure after setting soft fractions on the front end before kicking away from his rivals in the stretch to win by four lengths in a career best 1:57.

The talented trotter earned more than $70,000 in eight starts as a freshman in 2014 and moved his seasonal bankroll to more than $114,000 with Wednesday’s front-running romp for owners Charles Foster, Michael Sentiwany Jr. and Michael James.

Buen Camino (Cash Hall) was the faster of the two stakes winners on the evening as Trond Smedshammer piloted his trainee to a wire-to-wire victory in 1:56. Buen Camino recorded his third win in six starts this year and did so while holding off the late challenge of rival Wings Of Royalty (Chris Lems) whose previous start took place in the $1 million Hambletonian on Aug. 8.

Buen Camino earned the winner’s share of the $81,187 purse.

Live racing continues on Thursday night at Saratoga with first post time set for 7:05 p.m.