Duke Lavictoire (Royalty For Life) made his Saratoga debut last Monday (June 2) and prevailed decisively in his first start for trainer Brett Derue and driver Wally Hennessey. The Canadian invader cruised to a 1:55.2 romp in start in a $11,500 conditional race. Following that score, Duke Lavictoire jumped up into the Open for his second local try on Tuesday afternoon and wound up being the favorite in the $16,000 feature. Hennessey once again sat behind the seven year old who rolled out to an easy lead in his Open Trot debut. Duke Lavictoire cruised out to a 27.3 first quarter before backing things down to the half in 57.4. The 3-5 betting favorite lengthened his lead from that point on rattling off three quarters in 1:26.2 before stopping the timer in 1:55.3 for a victory of nearly four lengths. The track’s defending Horse of the Year By The Book (Jay Randall) closed well to be second to the first-time Open victor while Passarino (Jacob Cutting) earned the show spot. With his Tuesday score, Duke Lavictoire moved his record in 2025 to two-for-two for owners Steve Picarazzi, Donny Bullard and Brett Derue. The Open win was one of four victories on the card for Wally Hennessey who sits third in the local driver standings this season.
Live racing continues on Wednesday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.
Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY
Jessica Hallett photo
