Napoleón Solo produced the best performance of his career and captured the Preakness Stakes in emphatic fashion
- Turf Diario
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
The son of Liam’s Map once again showcased all his talent, overcame a frustrating start to the season, and delivered Chad Summers, Paco López, and Al Gold the biggest victory of their respective careers
It was not just another Preakness Stakes (G1-1900m, dirt). And it never could have been.
Because the 151st running of the second jewel of the American Triple Crown will forever be remembered as the first contested away from Pimlico Race Course, temporarily relocated to Laurel Park while Baltimore’s historic oval undergoes its long-awaited reconstruction.
And in that unprecedented setting, the star of the afternoon was Napoleon Solo, who regained all the prestige lost during a troubled start to his 3-year-old season and captured the US$2-million classic with tremendous authority.
Ridden with supreme confidence by Paco López, the son of Liam’s Map controlled the race from near the outset and ultimately defeated Iron Honor (Nyquist) by 1 1/4 lengths, while Chip Honcho (Connect) completed the trifecta.
The victory carried enormous emotional weight for trainer Chad Summers, who never lost faith in his colt despite criticism surrounding a pair of disappointing fifth-place finishes earlier this season.
“I told a lot of people this was going to be the best race of his life,” Summers said afterward. “Nothing went right at the beginning of his 3-year-old campaign. I felt like I failed him—not the other way around.”
Napoleon Solo’s season had gone sideways early.
After demolishing the field by 6 1/2 lengths in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct in 2025, the team elected to skip the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in order to focus entirely on reaching the Kentucky Derby (G1) in peak condition.
But complications kept piling up.
First, he needed the race in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), and later a bruised heel severely disrupted his preparation for the Wood Memorial (G2), leaving him unable to train normally for more than two weeks.
Although he still had a chance to enter the Derby as an also-eligible, Summers and owner Al Gold decided to stop waiting and instead target the Preakness directly.
“I’m still a little shocked,” Summers admitted. “A lot of people doubted us and probably still will. But this horse deserved this.”
Gold, meanwhile, especially praised both the trainer’s work and Paco López’s insistence on running in the race.
“We talked six or seven times a day,” the owner said. “Paco was convinced we needed to run in the Preakness, and he was right.”
Much had been made before the race about the abundance of speed in the field. But Summers believed none of his rivals could match Napoleon Solo’s cruising ability.
“Everybody kept talking about speed, but they were talking about :47 and :48 fractions,” the trainer explained. “We knew his biggest weapon was his natural speed.”
López executed the plan flawlessly.
He allowed Taj Mahal (Nyquist) to set the pace, tracked comfortably through fractions of :22.66, :46.66, and 1:12.08, then made his move entering the far turn and effectively settled the outcome long before the wire.
“He was traveling beautifully and I felt very confident,” López said. “I didn’t want to move too soon. When the time came, he responded perfectly.”
Iron Honor closed some ground from the rear but never seriously threatened the winner, who stopped the clock in 1:58.69 while maintaining his 1 1/4-length advantage.
Further back came the late-running Ocelli (Connect) and Incredibolt (Bolt d’Oro), while Taj Mahal faded badly to finish tenth.
The day also carried deep symbolic meaning for Maryland racing.
Only 4,800 spectators were able to attend at the smaller Laurel Park facility, but the atmosphere remained intense throughout the afternoon.
And Summers used the moment to deliver a passionate reflection on the ongoing closure of historic racetracks across the United States.
“The fact that Laurel and Aqueduct are eventually going to become just training centers is a tragedy,” he said. “We can’t keep allowing this to happen.”
Napoleon Solo thus became the final Grade 1 winner both at Laurel Park and at Aqueduct, another historic giant that will also soon close its doors.
Bred by John Gunther—also breeder of Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy)—alongside Eurowest Bloodstock, Napoleon Solo also provided Liam’s Map with his first graded stakes and Grade 1 winner of the season.
For now, the immediate target will be the Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, with the Belmont Stakes currently off the table.
“I think the division is completely open now,” Summers concluded. “We’ll see how the rest of the year unfolds.”
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