Toreador GB (Matador Hall) handled his step up in class with relative ease on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel as the Robert Cleary-trained pacer prevailed in the matinee’s feature. The British invader rattled off back-to-back victories to begin his local career when competing in the non-winners of two race lifetime condition with leading driver Brett Beckwith in the sulky. On Wednesday, the five-year-old moved up into the $9,500 featured race for pacers and drew post five for his try. Beckwith moved the 1-2 betting favorite out to the early lead, a lead he would never relinquish. Toreador GB cruised unopposed through a first half in 59 seconds and opened up by open lengths around the final turn before reporting home a decisive winner in 1:56.3 over a track labeled ‘sloppy.’ For Cleary, his record moved to five-for-five on the young season with the win. Toreador GB is owned by L P D Racing of East Windsor, NJ.

Live racing resumes on Sunday at Saratoga with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Mike Sardella | Saratoga Casino Hotel | Saratoga Springs, NY

Jessica Hallett photo

Earlier in the week, young reinsman Brett Beckwith missed a couple of race days at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The 22-year-old wasn’t just sitting on the couch or relaxing on beach at a tropical location but instead was accepting the Dan Patch Rising Star Award. Beckwith, who not only was the leading driver at the Spa in ’24 but shared the title at Plainridge Park with Bruce Ranger, returned home on Tuesday and piloted four winners. On Wednesday, the track’s defending top driver made six more trips to the winner’s circle including a sweep off the $9,500 co-featured races.

Beckwith sat behind Melissa Beckwith’s Swiss Cotton (Tellitlikeitis) as he prevailed for the third consecutive week. Stepping up into the winners of two but not more than five race lifetime class, Swiss Cotton stuck to the pylon path throughout the mile before closing up the passing lane to score in 1:56.4 for his third win in four seasonal tries. The four-year-old paid $8.30 to win in the mild upset. The other co-feature saw Beckwith catch-drive for trainer Jaymes McAssey whose Legal Attack (Bettor’s Delight) had little difficulty going coast-to-coast at odds of 1-9 to move his local record to two-for-two. Legal Attack’s win time of 1:56.4 matched that of counterpart Swiss Cotton as Beckwith completed the sweep of the co-features en route to a six-win afternoon.

Live racing resumes on Sunday at Saratoga with a matinee that starts at 12pm.

Following a Tuesday card that saw him pilot five winners, Brett Beckwith eclipsed that mark on Wednesday afternoon at Saratoga Casino Hotel. The young reinsman who was the national Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner in 2024 has picked up right where he left off in the beginning stages of ’25. On Wednesday, Beckwith piled up an incredible seven winners on the matinee card to pad his early lead in the driver standings at the Spa. Beckwith sat behind the Jaymes McAssey-trained Legal Attack (Bettor’s Delight) as the four year old made his local debut. Bet down as the 2-5 favorite in the $9,500 co-featured pace for colts and geldings, Legal Attack wasted little time moving out to the lead and carved out the fractions throughout the mile en route to a 1:55.3 score on another cold day in the Spa City. That victory was the fourth on the day for Beckwith whose afternoon just kept getting better ultimately resulting in a seven-win explosion. Brett guided winners in both halves of the late double as he piloted his mother Melissa Beckwith’s pacers Captain Tell and Swiss Cotton to late day scores to put the finishing touches on a seven-win afternoon for the track’s defending leading driver.

Live racing resumes on Sunday afternoon with a matinee that begins at 12pm.

Alittlesidehustl N (He’s Watching) prevailed in the final start of her 2024 campaign in December when the Jackie Greene trainee won the Fillies and Mares Open. Following a pair of winning qualifiers, Alittlesidehustl N was the public’s even money betting favorite in her ’25 debut when competing in the $15,000 Open for the ladies. Billy Dobson wasted little time powering Alittlesidehustl N out to the front end when she carved out first-half fractions of 28 and 57.3. The seven year old distaffer felt just mild pressure before hanging on to win in 1:55.4. Longshot Magical Maya A (Matt Athearn) shook loose to be second at odds of 14-1 while last year’s Filly and Mare Pacer of the Year Arizona (Brett Beckwith) closed to be third. Alittlesidehustl N is owned by Kellogg Racing Stables and Jackie Greene Stables of NY.

Live racing resumes on Sunday with a matinee that begins at 12pm.