When Al Gold's Napoleon Solo won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths last October at Aqueduct, the colt looked poised for a big future on the 2026 Kentucky Derby trail. Yet his first two starts as a 3-year-old did not go to plan: Napoleon Solo finished fifth in both the Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park and the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct.
Trainer Chad Summers has said the son of Liam's Map may have needed the race in the Fountain of Youth, and that he had a few issues that caused him to miss training before the Wood. The team decided to skip the Kentucky Derby, and all week leading up to the 151st Preakness Stakes – held for the first time at Laurel Park – Summers has been much more confident in Napoleon Solo's training.
The striking gray colt proved his trainer right on Saturday afternoon, stalking the early pace under jockey Paco Lopez and kicking away in the stretch to win the middle jewel of the Triple Crown by 1 1/4 lengths. Iron Honor finished second, followed by Chip Honcho and Ocelli.
Sent off at odds of 7-1, Napoleon Solo completed 1 3/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:58.69.
"We've had everything go wrong his 3-year-old year, and we just kind of stayed the course and stayed the course," Summers said. "We had a lot of critics out there that told us to just 'Shut up,' and we just kept with it. It worked out today."
The win was especially emotional for Summers, who was making his Triple Crown race debut. The trainer, best known for earning his first career victory with star sprinter Mind Your Biscuits in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in 2018, said he never lost faith in the colt's ability.
"To come here with a horse that Mr. Gold allowed me to pick out for $40,000, and to get the job done on a stage like this, it's just unbelievable," the trainer said.
Napoleon Solo has not made Summers' job easy, showing off his feel-good nature on two legs more often than his trainer would probably like, but the trainer got special permission to keep the colt behind the other horses in the Preakness post parade, which may have helped keep the lid on before the race. Lopez spent most of the pre-race period warming Napoleon Solo up away from the other horses, and it appeared the colt did not turn a hair during the preliminaries.
Though the speedy Napoleon Solo fought for the lead from the inside post in the Wood Memorial, Lopez got a wider draw from post 10 in the 14-horse Preakness Stakes. Thus, the jockey was able to settle Napoleon Solo just behind the inside speed of Taj Mahal, who left from the one-hole. Taj Mahal went forward as expected, setting solid fractions of :22.66 and :46.66 down the backstretch. Napoleon Solo kept the pressure on about a length off the leader, and was followed by a group including Talkin, Chip Honcho, Iron Honor, and Robusta.
The six-furlong time of 1:12.08 showed that pace slowed markedly in the third quarter, for a split of 25.42 seconds. Thus, midway through the far turn, Napoleon Solo began to inch up alongside Taj Mahal to challenge for the lead.
Forwardly positioned as he was, Napoleon Solo got the jump on his rivals and kicked clear at the top of the stretch. Iron Honor tried to make up ground late but came up 1 1/2 lengths short of the winner, followed home by Chip Honcho. Kentucky Derby third Ocelli closed from near the rear to finish fourth, while Incredibolt also made up some ground late to finish fifth.
The full order of finish was: Napoleon Solo, Iron Honor, Chip Honcho, Ocelli, Incredibolt, Bull By The Horns, The Hell We Did, Great White, Robusta, Taj Mahal, Corona de Oro, Talkin, Crupper, and Pretty Boy Miah.
Bred in Kentucky by John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, Napoleon Solo is out of the stakes-winning Scat Daddy mare Atomic Blonde. Summers' $40,000 bid on behalf of owner Al Gold secured the colt at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling sale, and Napoleon Solo won his first two races as a 2-year-old, including the romp in the Champagne.
With the Preakness win under his belt, Napoleon Solo has now won three of his five lifetime starts for earnings of over $1.5 million.
"We're going to point to the Haskell; how we get to the Haskell, we'll find out," Summers said. “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 $40,000, which I love the most."
Relive Preakness 151
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Jockey Paco Lopez weights out after guiding Napoleon Solo to win the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Owner Al Gold holds up the trophy after Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Maryland Governor Wes Moore hands the Preakness Trophy to Owner Al Gold after Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding won the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Napoleon Solo #10 with Paco Lopez riding warming up without a pony escort in the post parade prior to the $2,000,000 Grade I Preakness Stakes at Laurel Racecourse on Saturday May 16, 2026. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
