British Royalty Eyes Singspiel Stakes Crown

It's been nearly a year since Bruce Lunsford and Barbara J. Minshall's British Royalty  found the winner's circle, but with a seven-week freshening and bullet five-furlong breeze Sept. 11, the gelding is gearing up to take his first photo of 2022 in the CA$150,000 Singspiel Stakes (G3T).

Contested Sept. 18 over the 1 3/8-mile distance on Woodbine's turf course, the Singspiel drew a field of short field of six. Highweight King Vega —carrying 125 pounds—from the barn of Graham Motion is the only U.S. invader to challenge the locals. King Vega ships up to Canada following a track record-setting score in the Aug. 16 Buckland Stakes at Colonial Downs.

Trained by Minshall, British Royalty earned he biggest victory of his career when landing last year's Breeders' Stakes at 24-1 odds. Prior to his last effort, in which he failed to hit the board in Woodbine's Niagara Stakes (G2T), the 4-year-old son of English Channel performed admirably in his three U.S. starts, placing second in the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park before finishing fourth in the Grand Couturier Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Patrick Husbands has the call on British Royalty.

Chiefswood Stables' Collective Force , third behind British Royalty in the Breeders', enters Sunday's race off a career-best performance when beaten a half-length for second behind Who's the Star  in the July 30 Niagara Stakes.