Meet-leading trainer Melissa Beckwith added four wins to her bulky total for the 2026 season at Saratoga Casino Hotel on Monday afternoon, Oct. 19.
Beckwith teamed up with driver Aaron Byron for back-to-back wins on the Monday card with trotters RT Watch Me ($3.30) and Meadowbrook Ashley ($4.06).
Owned by William Hartt of Carmel, Maine, sophomore filly Meadowbrook Ashley drew the rail for her local debut in a conditioned optional claiming race that went for a purse of $16,549. The daughter of You Know You Do-See Me Sparkle sat the pocket as the even-money favourite. After rival Spill The Tea (Wally Hennessey) rushed to the lead with a quarter to go, Meadowbrook Ashley slid to the outside around the final turn and powered by in the lane to secure the victory in 1:57 by 1-1/4 lengths.
The win was the second consecutive for the Beckwith-Byron combo after RT Watch Me came on to score by the slimmest of margins over Touch Of Ability (Jim Devaux) in 1:59.1 in a $13,662 event for trotters. Howard Jacobs of West Orange, New Jersey owns the four-year-old Forhham Road-Focus On Me gelding, who joined the Beckwith stable last month and was a repeat winner at the Spa.
Beckwith’s grand slam was bookended by wins in the co-featured $18,310 conditioned optional claiming trots, starting with the Jacobs-owned Unhinged ($8.02), who registered win number 11 for his six-year-old campaign. The Uncle Peter-Crime Wave Hall gelding held on by a nose in a wire-to-wire 1:57.3 score with Chris Long in the sulky.
Recently acquired by Beckwith, Eurobank Hanover ($2.86) and Leon Bailey capped it off with a 1:56.1 three-length romp. The four-year-old Greenshoe-Emmylou Who gelding prevailed for the first time since coming to the Spa last month after making breaks as the favourite in his previous local efforts.
Beckwith continues to lead in the way in the Saratoga trainer standings this season, holding a healthy but not insurmountable lead over Jaymes McAssey with just less than two months remaining in the racing season.
Live harness racing resumes on Saturday, Oct. 24 with post time set for 12 p.m.
(With files from Saratoga Casino Hotel; photo of Meadowbrook Ashley winning on Oct. 19)