ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The long-winded British Royalty will cut back to 1 1/4 miles in Saturday’s $100,000 Niagara Stakes on the roomy main turf course at Woodbine. British Royalty proved to be one of the best reclaims in Woodbine history after trainer Barbara Minshall lost him for $25,000 last July and then took him back for $40,000 shortly thereafter. He went on to capture the $401,600 Breeders’ Stakes, the final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown going 1 1/2 miles on yielding ground. Minshall has run British Royalty in three turf marathons this year. After ending up second in his season debut in a 1 1/2-mile allowance at Keeneland, he ran second to Loft in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup over a grueling two miles. The son of English Channel is coming off a troubled fourth in the 1 1/2-mile Grand Couturier Stakes at Belmont. “I thought he ran a very good race in the Belmont Gold Cup,” said Minshall, who co-owns the gelding with Bruce Lunsford. “He was a little compromised leaving the gate, but I thought it was a very good effort. In the Grand Couturier, it was only a five-horse field, but it wasn’t the cleanest trip at the end. He had to swing wide. He was going up the fence and there was no way he was going to get through there, but he still ran a really good race.” :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Minshall said she’s been prepping British Royalty for a turnback in distance. “I’ve been trying to get him really sharp in knowing that this race could be too short,” Minshall said. “It’s coming back a little quick, but we don’t really have anywhere to go right now, so we’ll take a shot at it. He can just come out of the barn and walk right over.” British Royalty is being reunited with Patrick Husbands and is back on Lasix after going without it in his last two races. “Patrick knows him, so he’ll sit wherever he needs to be,” Minshall said. “And this might be the horse’s last start until the fall. He does like a little softer ground, so we’ll get him ready for this race and then map out the plan for the fall.” The Niagara drew a strong 11-horse field that includes three 2021 Canadian champions – Horse of the Year Mighty Heart, champion male 3-year-old Frosted Over, and champion turf male Town Cruise. Mighty Heart was softened up in a speed duel and finished a distant seventh in his last turf try in the 2020 Breeders’. The one-eyed 5-year-old faded to third after leading the way in each of his two most recent outings in graded stakes on the Tapeta. Frosted Over is making his turf debut off an authoritative score in the Grade 3 Dominion Day. He is by the 7 percent turf sire Frosted but his dam is a half-sister to a graded turf stakes winner. Town Cruise, an upset winner in last year’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, is returning from a 9 1/2-month layoff.