Chad Summers never lost faith or belief in Napoleon Solo.
Summers stuck by his decision to eschew the big money and prestige – along with a chance for a championship – in last year’s Breeders’ Cup. He stayed true this winter in South Florida and again back home in New York even while the gray son of Liam’s Map disappointed in two key Kentucky Derby prep races. He remained resolute that Al Gold’s one-time $40,000 yearling buy could overcome a troublesome foot and again perform at the top level when he turned the page from the Derby and set his sights on the Preakness Stakes.
Napoleon Solo backed up his trainer’s confidence Saturday in the 151st running of the Grade 1 Preakness at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., surging past local favorite Taj Mahal and holding off Iron Honor. Under Paco Lopez, Napoleon Solo won by 1 1/4 lengths to add the Preakness to his victory last fall in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct. Chip Honcho finished third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up after 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.69 on a fast track.
The Champagne came about two months after a win in an auction maiden in early August at Saratoga Race Course, two victories that put Napoleon Solo’s name in the mix for the spring classics. He landed on everyone’s radar then, but he was already well up in Summers’ mind by that point.
His 2026 may have been abbreviated, and unsuccessful, but Summers stayed the course.
“I felt like I maybe did a disservice to him all year long,” Summers said. “You know, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn’t as good as he was in the Champagne. This was a win here. People will say it wasn’t against the best of the best. We’ll find out the rest of the year.”
Summers watched the Preakness – moved to Laurel this year while Pimlico Race Course undergoes a complete rebuild – from the paddock alongside Gold and exercise rider Emily Ellingwood. Four other Preakness trainers were nearby – Brittany Russell (Taj Mahal), Whit Beckman (Ocelli), Riley Mott (Incredibolt) and John Ennis (Great White).
Shifting slightly on their feet in the brown wood chips, Summers and Gold shook their heads a bit when Napoleon Solo flashed past the finish line just behind Taj Mahal and to the opening quarter-mile in :22.66. They relaxed a bit more as Napoleon Solo did the same turning onto the backstretch, still chasing Taj Mahal to the half in a strong :46.66.
Taj Mahal, undefeated in three local starts and trying to give Russell her first classic win, couldn’t edge away from Napoleon Solo up the backstretch toward the far turn. The field started to bunch up approaching the bend and with Taj Mahal holding a tenuous lead past 6 furlongs in 1:12.08. Summers saw enough.
“Go get ‘em now,” the trainer said.
Napoleon Solo took control just past the midpoint of the far turn. He turned for home in front, about three paths off the rail, and opened up as Taj Mahal tired and Iron Honor and Ocelli chased. Summers and Gold continued to encourage from afar while Lopez went to work, giving Napoleon Solo strong right-handed cracks of the whip through the lane and looking over his shoulders for competition. Napoleon Solo stayed on in the stretch, drifting a bit to the inside before leveling off and holding Iron Honor.
Iron Honor, who also skipped the Kentucky Derby despite having sufficient points to make the race, finished a clear second with Chip Honcho third and Ocelli fourth in the field of 14.
The winning time was the slowest since Hill Prince won in 1:59 1/5 in 1950. None of that mattered to Summers, who grew up on Long Island and spent his early years in racing as a fan going to the track with his father and brother watching morning works and listening to Mary Ryan’s Breakfast at Belmont programs.
“There’s been a lot of trials and tribulations along the way,” Summers said. “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 $40,000, which I love the most.”
Bred in Kentucky by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, Napoleon Solo cost Gold $40,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September sale. He’s the second foal out of the stakes winning Scat Daddy mare Atomic Blonde. Her first foal, the 4-year-old Without Parole gelding Lawless Ways, is winless in two starts with a third set for next week at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana.
Napoleon Solo took a different path into May, collecting the Preakness trophy to give Gold, Summers and Lopez their first classic while pocketing $1.2 million of the purse to pad his bankroll to $1,560,520.
“Did anybody think this horse could go this far?” Gold joked in the post-race press conference. “Raise your hand if you did . . . I didn’t think this horse could go this far . . . but Chad was very enthusiastic about this … for the last month, since the Wood.”
The winner paid $17.80 as the fourth choice. Taj Mahal started as the favorite at nearly 5-1 in a 14-horse field where no starter reached 30-1.
