Aveenu Malcainu tries to keep perfect record in Champagne

Aveenu Malcainu put in his final breeze Saturday before the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne on October 8, going four furlongs in 46.78 seconds on Belmont Park's main track under regular jockey Luis Saez.

Reached by phone, trainer Jeremiah Englehart said he was impressed with the effort.

"It seemed like came back good and Luis said he was very happy with him," Englehart said. "He's pretty strong. Hopefully he has a good week going into this race."

The 2-year-old Into Mischief colt is 2-for-2 in his career, winning his debut on July 28 at Saratoga before capturing the Funny Cide on August 25, which followed an eventful morning in which he hit his head and scratched his nose in his stall.

"I'll be watching my phone that morning making sure everything is OK," Englehart said with a laugh. "When you get into races like this, you know anything can happen. You look at Todd [Pletcher] and Chad [Brown] and the best trainers in the country, they all roll with the punches."

After winning at 6 ½ furlongs last out at the Spa, Aveenu Malcainu will be stretched out to a mile in the Champagne, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1, $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 4 at Del Mar.

"I thought all along that he could do it, so we'll see if it makes that step up in this next start," Englehart said.

Small Bear will return to graded stakes company for the first time since February and put in his final work before the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince on October 7. The 3-year-old gelding breezed four furlongs in 46.78 seconds on Belmont's main track.

Owned by August Dawn Farm, Small Bear is coming off back-to-back runner-up efforts in Saratoga stakes, running second in the Curlin on July 28 and following that up with a good effort in the Better Talk Now August 28, finishing a neck behind Hieroglyphics.

"I was very happy with him. He's not that always a [great] workhorse in the mornings but ever since his last race, he's shown me the necessary steps to challenge graded stakes company," he said. "I was impressed with his last race. He's a horse where the extra eighth of a mile will be very beneficial to him. I think he'll be an outsider in the Hill Prince but it wouldn't surprise me if he made a big wave in that race."

The Hill Prince, for 3-year-olds, is contested at 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf.

Purrfect Miss will make her stakes debut in the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette on October 8. The 2-year-old filly broke her maiden last out on August 20 at Saratoga, posting a 3 ¼-length score in a six-furlong sprint on the main track.

The Discreet Cat filly will now be stretched out to a mile in a race that is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Grade 1, $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 4.

"I just want to see her keeping consistent," Englehart said. "She's coming off a tough maiden 2-year-old race. From her first start, she's improved and she's shown signs that she can handle the competition. I'm not sure if she's bred to go a mile, but I'm hoping she's up to the challenge and can do it well."