Napoleon Solo Sharpens His Preparation with the Breeders' Cup Classic as His Destination
The winner of the Preakness Stakes (G1) worked 800 meters in 48s63/100 at Belmont Park and will travel to Keeneland to complete his preparation; Chad Summers will finalize his participation after pre-entries are revealed
ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— The Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) could add another star of immense caliber. Napoleon Solo, winner this year of the Preakness Stakes (G1) and one of the most consistent colts of the American season, continues to make strides in his preparation with the October 31 feature at Keeneland as his primary target, though the Dirt Mile (G1) remains an open alternative.
The son of Liam’s Map, who carries the colors of Espoir USA and is trained by Chad Summers, worked again Friday on the main track at Belmont Park, covering 800 meters in 48s63/100 in a solo exercise conducted shortly after 5:30 a.m., paired with his regular exercise rider Emily Ellingwood.
It was his fourth move since leaving Saratoga, following his second-place finish in the Travers Stakes (G1) on August 29, and proved markedly different from his previous exercise, where he covered 1200 meters in a sharp 1m11s, sweeping past two runners from the Rudy Rodriguez barn in the stretch and galloping out with tremendous energy past the wire.
“In his last work he did a bit more than we expected when he went six furlongs, so this time we just wanted to give him something easy. Emily gets along with him amazingly well and they adore each other. Next week we will work five furlongs at Keeneland,” Summers explained.
Napoleon Solo has built a top-class record, highlighted by victories in the Champagne Stakes (G1) during his juvenile campaign and the Preakness Stakes (G1), contested in May at Laurel Park.
Since then, although he has not returned to the winner's circle, he came agonizingly close to capturing two more major titles. In July, he finished second by just half a length to Baby Vino (Vino Rosso) in the Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, and subsequently lost by the exact same margin to Leading Change (Gun Runner) in the Travers.
That consistency against the finest representatives of his division stands as one of the strongest arguments supporting his Classic candidacy, where he could potentially face the top older horses in the United States.
Summers noted that the final decision between the 2000-meter Classic and the 1600-meter Dirt Mile will be made after pre-entries are released on Wednesday, October 21. For now, the former option looms as the most likely path.
The trainer also confirmed that Napoleon Solo will depart for Keeneland early Saturday morning to settle into the Breeders' Cup venue and execute his final major work on-site.
“He leaves tomorrow at four in the morning. We want him to have a few days to gallop there, and if all goes well, he will work Friday. I don't want to breeze too close to the race if I can avoid it. We will also be keeping an eye on the weather,” he detailed.
For Summers, bringing Napoleon Solo to this stage holds special significance. The colt provided him with his first domestic G1 victory in the United States when capturing the Preakness, then running under the ownership of Al Gold's Gold Square, before being acquired in a private purchase by Espoir USA.
The conditioner previously enjoyed an extraordinary run with Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), the outstanding New York sprinter who secured back-to-back editions of the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), and now finds in Napoleon Soloanother opportunity to compete at the pinnacle of the sport.
“He loves what he does and he is a truly special horse. We are blessed. We had a once-in-a-lifetime horse with Mind Your Biscuits, and now we get another opportunity with Napoleon. I am deeply grateful that his owners decided to keep him in our barn, and I hope we can make them proud on October 31,” Summers expressed.
With two G1 triumphs and two consecutive runner-up finishes by narrow margins, Napoleon Solo will head to Keeneland with credentials to command full respect. All that remains is deciding which of the two dirt feature races will host the next chapter of his career.
