Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
No divine intervention needed for Aveenu Malcainu
BELMONT, N.Y. – It is not just on a hope and a prayer that trainer Jeremiah Englehart is running Aveenu Malcainu in Saturday’s $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. From what Englehart has seen, he believes the New York-bred rightly belongs in the Grade 1 race for 2-year-olds.
“He doesn’t strike me as a horse that’s just a New Yorkbred, for some reason,” Englehart said. “He seems like he’s more than that.”
On paper, Aveenu Malcainu, named for a Hebrew prayer that translates to “Our father, our king,” certainly fits as well as anyone in a wide-open Champagne, which drew a field of 12, with Firenze Fire being the only graded stakes winner. The field for the one-turn-mile race includes six maiden winners and three maidens.
Aveenu Malcainu won both of his starts at Saratoga, rallying four wide in the stretch to win his 5 1/2-furlong debut on July 28 and then making a similar move to win the Funny Cide Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths on Aug. 25. The horses who ran fourth and fifth in the Funny Cide came back to win New Yorkbred stakes at Finger Lakes.
Luis Saez was aboard Aveenu Malcainu for both of his wins and rides him again Saturday.
“His maiden race seemed like it was a key 2-year-old race, and I thought he matured a little bit more his second race,” said Englehart, who trains Aveenu Malcainu for Al Gold. “It wasn’t Luis having to get after him as much. When he asked him a little bit, he took him up there.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Champagne six times, including three times with horses coming off debut victories. He trains Hazit, a son of War Front who won his only start by a length going 6 1/2 furlongs on Travers Day at Saratoga.
“He’s trained very well all summer,” Pletcher said. “Everything we’ve done with him, he’s passed every test and continues to do so. I think the talented ones can step up and handle the jump up into a stakes the second time out. Hopefully, he’s got that type of talent.”
Good Magic finished second to Hazit in that debut race, and his trainer, Chad Brown, felt good enough about the performance to enter him in the Champagne as a maiden.
“His number was good in the race,” said Brown, who won last year’s Champagne with Practical Joke. “The horse is training really well. He looks like he’s going to move forward off that number, to my eye. Whether that’s good enough or not, I’m not sure.”
Firenze Fire won the Grade 3 Sanford at Saratoga and ran fourth in the Grade 1 Hopeful. He breaks from post 12.
Kowboy Karma won the Stake Your Claim Stakes at Delaware and finished second in the Sapling with trouble at Monmouth. He drew the rail.
Blame It On Honey, Stronger, Enticed, Master Manipulator, Bahamian, Honorable Treasure, and Full of Run complete the field.
The Champagne offers its winner a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar. The Champagne goes as race 8 on the card and is the first leg of a pick four wager comprising Grade 1 stakes, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont and the Breeders’ Futurity and Shadwell Turf Mile from Keeneland.
KEY CONTENDERS
Aveenu Malcainu, by Into Mischief Beyers: 82-76
◗ Two horses he beat in his debut came back to win maiden races next out, and two horses he beat in the Funny Cide came back to win statebred stakes in their next outs.
◗ Fired a bullet workout in 46.53 seconds last Saturday over Belmont’s main track.
“I was a little worried that maybe his last work might have been a little too much, but Luis was pretty happy with him as far as the work went,” Englehart said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. I think he should run a really good race.”
Hazit, by War Front Beyer: 84
◗ Carried his speed from start to finish in winning his debut against just four rivals on the Travers card.
◗ Has worked well the last two weeks over the Belmont Park training track.
“It seems like he’s done everything right from before his first start, in his first start, and since his first start,” Pletcher said.
Firenze Fire, by Poseidon’s Warrior Last 3 Beyers: 77-79-69
◗ Had been coughing a week before he finished fourth after not changing leads in the Hopeful.
◗ Showed a good turn of foot in winning the Sanford on July 22.
Honorable Treasure, by To Honor and Serve Beyers: 90-48
◗ Stalked a strong pace and still drew away convincingly to win a seven-furlong maiden race at Saratoga on Aug. 19 from which the runner-up came back to win his next start.