English Conqueror gets to stay home for Niagara Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Due to limited opportunities at Woodbine, English Conqueror has taken his show on the road this year to the United States. The long-distance turf expert gets a home race going 1 1/4 miles in Saturday’s $100,000 Niagara, an overnight stakes with a 12-horse field of older runners scheduled for the main turf course.

English Conqueror has started three times this year for trainer Darwin Banach. He lowered the 1 3/16-mile course record when notching his season debut in a second-level allowance/optional claimer in June at Aqueduct, after which he trailed in fifth in the Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga.

Most recently, in the 1 1/2-mile Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park, English Conqueror faded to third after attending a slow pace on the outside. In a field that scratched down to five horses, Banach said things didn’t go the gelding’s way after breaking from the outside post under Rafael Hernandez.

“I don’t think it worked out in his favor,” Banach said. “He’s the type of horse who likes to get covered up, or he doesn’t relax and wants to take a hold the whole way. In these longer races, you’ve got to save everything you’ve got for the end, or he doesn’t have that same kick down the lane. He was stuck on the outside and couldn’t get down in behind. It was no fault of Raffie’s and they went a snail’s pace.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some speed in this race. He likes to be close and covered up.”

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Hernandez keeps the mount from post 3 in the Niagara. English Conqueror will be going back on Lasix after two races without it.

Mark Casse entered Paramount Prince, Palazzi, and Eyes On the King in the Niagara.

Victorious in the 2023 King’s Plate, Paramount Prince was softened up in a speed duel when 13th in his lone turf outing in the 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Stakes. He has won three of his four races this year, all on Tapeta, including the Grade 2 Seagram Cup and Grade 3 Dominion Day.

Palazzi was among the leading grass runners on the grounds last year. He has competed on the Tapeta in his last three races, finishing fourth behind Paramount Prince in the Dominion Day and Seagram Cup after winning the Grade 2 Eclipse.

Eyes On the King is going back on Lasix off back-to-back dull efforts in stakes at Gulfstream Park. Like Paramount Prince, he’s done his best running on the lead. Patrick Husbands was named on both.

Stone Age, the runner-up in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf, has improved with each subsequent start since joining the barn of trainer Pat Parente earlier this year. The son of Galileo led all the way in a 1 1/4-mile conditioned allowance/optional claimer on Aug. 11.

Stanley House is competing on turf for the first time after filling out the exacta behind Paramount Prince in both the Seagram Cup and Dominion Day.

Trainer Mike DePaulo is optimistic that Stanley House will handle 1 1/4 miles on firm turf.

“I worked him once on the turf and he worked good, but he’s a good work horse.” DePaulo said. “There’s a lot of turf in his pedigree.”

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