Napoleon Solo Repels Iron Honor In Preakness Classic
History Made As Pimlico Gives Way To Laurel
Napoleon Solo, the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes hero owned by Al Gold of Gold Square LLC and trained by Chad Summers, claiming his first Triple Crown victory, confronting the well-fancied Iron Honor, handled by trainer Chad Brown and jockey Flavien Prat, in the 151st running of the Gr.1 Preakness Stakes, contested for the first time in the race's 153-year history away from Pimlico Race Course.
With Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo bypassing the second jewel of the Triple Crown (the full series: the Kentucky Derby a.k.a. "the most exciting two minutes in sports," the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes), the US$2,000,000 contest at Laurel Park, Maryland, presented a genuinely open renewal, drawing a maximum field of 14 Thoroughbreds. Napoleon Solo, a 3YO grey son of Liam's Map out of Atomic Blonde, arrived at the starting stalls carrying the weight of a turbulent 3-year-old campaign following back-to-back fifth-place finishes, yet produced the performance of his life to justify every ounce of his trainer's unflinching faith.
A Tactical Stalking Display
Taj Mahal, the 9-2 post-time selection trained by Brittany Russell and ridden by her husband Sheldon Russell, breaks sharply from post one and sets a searching early tempo, recording fractions of 22.66 seconds for the opening quarter-mile, 46.66 seconds for the half-mile, and 1:12.08 through three-quarters of a mile.
Napoleon Solo, settled just off the shoulder of the pacesetter under jockey Paco Lopez, tracking efficiently and conserving energy through the early exchanges. As the field sweeps into the far turn, Lopez begins to ask his mount, and Napoleon Solo responds with authority, collaring Taj Mahal and striding clear into the homestretch before holding the renewed challenge of Iron Honor by 1¼ lengths at the line. It is another 3¼ lengths back to Chip Honcho in third, with Taj Mahal fading to 10th, more than 13 lengths adrift.
"He broke perfect and followed them around," Lopez reflects. "I feel very comfortable with where the horse was." Napoleon Solo covers the 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.69, taking the US$1,200,000 winner's share and recording his third victory from five career starts, with earnings now surpassing US$1,600,000.
Trials, Tribulations And A Haskell Target
The road to Laurel Park is anything but straightforward for the Gold Square colt. Chad Summers purchases Napoleon Solo for just US$40,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale on behalf of owner Al Gold, and the grey colt immediately stamps himself as a precocious talent, winning his debut by 5¼ lengths at Saratoga before dominating the Gr.1 Champagne Stakes by 6½ lengths at Aqueduct last October with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. The Derby trail, however, unravels: fifth in the Gr.2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, then fifth again in the Gr.2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, with a heel bruise impeding his preparation for the latter. Summers and Gold make the bold decision to bypass the Kentucky Derby and head directly to the Preakness.
"I told a lot of people that I thought this was going to be the best performance of his life," Summers says. "Nothing went right to start his 3YO year. There's been a lot of trials and tribulations along the way. I've almost quit about three or four times. Been forced into retirement a few times. But we're still here, we're battling and we got the victory done on a horse we bought for US$40,000, which I love the most." The decision to run is, by his own admission, partly inspired by jockey Paco Lopez. "It was actually Paco's idea," Gold reveals. "We were unsaddling after the Wood and he told Chad, 'Go to the Preakness.' So Paco's idea and Chad's training got us here." Summers now points Napoleon Solo towards the Gr.1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park as the next objective.
History At A Relocated Classic
The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes carries additional historical resonance beyond the result on the track. Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, the race's home since 1873, is undergoing a full reconstruction, forcing the event to relocate to Laurel Park, situated roughly 20 miles to the south, for the first time in its history. Attendance is capped at 4,800, producing a more subdued atmosphere than the traditionally raucous infield scenes at Pimlico, yet the racing itself proves compelling.
Taj Mahal, trained by Brittany Russell, carries the hopes of the host state and the possibility of becoming the first horse trained by a woman to win the Preakness, a feat achieved just a fortnight earlier at Churchill Downs when Cherie Devaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo. Russell's charge leads for much of the contest but ultimately fades, leaving the honours to the Gold Square raider.
It is also a landmark occasion for Paco Lopez and Chad Summers, each recording their first Triple Crown victory. "To come here with a horse that Mr Gold allowed me to pick out for US$40,000 and get the job done on a stage like this, it's just unbelievable," Summers declares on the NBC telecast. Gold himself, a retired New Jersey real-estate entrepreneur who has raced under the Gold Square banner for 20 years and is best known for the 2022 Arkansas Derby and Haskell winner Cyberknife, is visibly moved. "I'm still a little numb to be truthful," he admits. "This was a very big moment and I am very happy. I just can't put it into words."
The win moves Napoleon Solo to three victories from five career starts, and his connections subsequently announce the colt's sale in a private transaction to ESPOIR USA Inc., with plans to continue racing through at least 2027 before a stallion career at Lane's End Farm. Summers confirms the Haskell remains the immediate target. "It's going to feel awkward putting different blinkers and different silks on him," Summers tells the Daily Racing Form, "but Napoleon's still Napoleon."
1. Napoleon Solo (T: Chad Summers / J: Paco Lopez)
2. Iron Honor (T: Chad Brown / J: Flavien Prat)
3. Chip Honcho (T: Steve Asmussen / J: Jose Ortiz)