GALANTE A ROCKETS HOME IN BIG M FEATURE
The trip was anything but smooth, but leading driver Brett Beckwith found the right path to guide Galante A to victory lane Saturday night at The Meadowlands in the featured mid-level conditioned pace ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- September 12, 2026 -- The trip was anything but smooth, but leading driver Brett Beckwith found the right path to guide Galante A to victory lane Saturday night at The Meadowlands in the featured mid-level conditioned pace.
“He shouldn’t have been 12-1 as he always gives a good effort,” said Beckwith. “I really like him. He tries.”
Buried along the inside down the backside, Galante A advanced steadily along the rail to the half but still found himself in the four-hole at the five-eighths. Heading onto the far turn, Beckwith found a seam and moved Galante A into a fourth-over flow before quickly shifting to the center of the track. From there, the Shaun Vallee trainee exploded home to catch the game leader, Xpert, and go on to a three-quarter-length win in 1:50.3. Xpert was second with Master Charles A third.
“You have to stay after him,” said Beckwith of Galante A. “Shaun’s a really good trainer. Obviously, the trip was a little more cautious but there was a lot going on. He usually gives you a pretty good kick home.”
An 11-year-old gelded son of Art Major-Escovedo, Galante A has won seven times in 2026 from 28 starts. Lifetime, he’s won 30 of 183 outings and banked $314,126 for owners Vallee and John Moderack.
Sent to the gate as the eighth choice in the field of 10, Galante A returned $27.20 to his backers.
A LITTLE MORE: Dale Yeah took the high-end conditioned pace in a lifetime-best 1:49 for trainer Kirsten Proctor and driver Vinny Ginsburg. The 5-year-old gelded son of Tellitlikeitis-Mystical Victress returned $5.20 as the 8-5 second choice. … Beckwith finished the night with five winners to lead the driver colony while Vallee’s three-bagger topped the trainers. … All-source handle on the 15-race program totaled $2,334,139. … Harness racing now takes a four-week break and will return on Oct. 17. … Thoroughbred turf racing comes to the Big M for the next four weeks, with live action on Friday and Saturday evenings with a post time of 7 p.m.
