Under Paco Lopez, Napoleon Solo (44) stalked the pace, pounced turning for home, and drew clear at 7.90-1 to secure his first win of the year and put his name firmly back in the conversation among the top 3-year-olds.
Racing résumé
Napoleon Solo (44) was everything you want to see from a promising 2-year-old. Trained by Chad Summers for owner Al Gold, he debuted last summer at Saratoga on Aug. 8, 2025, and dominated first time out, winning in professional style.
He came back in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on Oct. 4 and turned that into a showcase. Sent straight to the front, Napoleon Solo (44) controlled the tempo and powered away to win by 6 ½ lengths against a quality group, stamping himself as one of the leading juveniles in the country.
Rather than wheel back in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA at Del Mar on Nov. 1, the connections chose the conservative route. Summers and Gold opted to skip that race and point directly toward a 3-year-old campaign, clearly playing the long game with a colt by Liam's Map whose frame and style hinted at classic-distance potential.
The winter didn't go exactly to script. Returning in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park, Napoleon Solo (44) never threatened, checking in a well-beaten fifth, 11 ¾ lengths behind the winner. A similar story unfolded in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino on April 4 at Aqueduct, where he again finished fifth without landing a serious punch.
Summers later revealed that Napoleon Solo (44) had been dealing with a bruised heel through those races. It was a subtle but significant issue for a horse whose game is built on getting into the bridle early and sustaining a strong pace. Coming into the Preakness, the barn believed he was finally back to himself—and they were right.
On Preakness day at Laurel, Napoleon Solo (44) sat just off early leader Taj Mahal through a sharp opening half in :46.66, took over on the far turn, opened a 1 ½-length advantage in early stretch, and held sway to the wire. He covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:58.69, registering his third win from five career starts and his second Grade 1 victory.
Speed figures
From a numbers standpoint, Napoleon Solo (44) came into the Preakness with a somewhat uneven profile. His Equibase Speed Figures, in order of his first four starts, read 91-99-81-85. That 99 came in the Champagne, but his two prep races at 3 were clear step-backs from his 2-year-old best.
The Preakness win produced a 97 Equibase Speed Figure, signaling a return to near-peak form and supporting the idea that his earlier 3-year-old efforts were more about physical issues than a lack of talent.
On the Beyer Speed Figure scale, he earned a 95 for the Champagne and a 96 in the Preakness, a narrow new top. That's exactly what you want to see in May from a good 3-year-old: a colt matching—and slightly surpassing—his best juvenile performance as he stretches out around two turns in a classic race.
The one red flag in the data comes late in the race. Napoleon Solo (44) finished the final quarter-mile in :26.88 and his last furlong in :13.51. Those are not eye-catching closing splits, especially for a horse who had a clear lead in upper stretch. To be fair, he was attending a strong early pace on a track that was playing kindly to speed, but when he meets deeper, more seasoned closers later in the summer, those final fractions will need to tighten up.
Running style and strengths
Through five starts, Napoleon Solo (44) has shown a very consistent running pattern: he either makes the lead or parks himself right off it. In every race, he has been within two lengths of the front after the opening quarter-mile. That tactical speed is his calling card and a huge weapon in modern dirt racing.
He's not a one-dimensional runoff; Lopez and previous riders have been able to get him to relax while still maintaining position. If nobody wants the lead, he's happy to dictate terms. If another horse insists, he'll sit just outside or behind and keep them honest.
In an era where many of the top 3-year-olds are late-running types, a high-cruising-speed colt like Napoleon Solo (44) is particularly dangerous. At Laurel in the Preakness, that style was perfectly suited to how the track was playing: speed and pace-pressers were generally holding well, and he fit that profile exactly.
The flip side is that his style can expose him if the early tempo gets too hot or if he has to fend off multiple quality challengers late. His Preakness closing splits suggest he's more of a grinder who sustains a long move than a horse with a devastating late burst. That's fine—many top-level dirt colts fit that mold—but it does mean race shape will be crucial going forward.
What's next: the Haskell target
After the Preakness, Summers made the next step clear. The Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, run at 1 1/8 miles, is a natural spot for a colt like Napoleon Solo (44). It's a race that traditionally features some of the best 3-year-olds in the country and has often been kind to horses with tactical speed, especially when Paco Lopez is involved. Lopez is a perennial leading rider at Monmouth and knows every nuance of that surface.
From a distance standpoint, 1 1/8 miles should pose no problem. Napoleon Solo (44) has already handled 1 3/16 miles while forwardly placed the whole way. Cutting back a sixteenth on a track that can favor horses on or near the lead projects as a sweet spot for him.
The big variable will be the quality and style of his opposition. Many of the top 3-year-olds this season have preferred to settle and make one run, which theoretically gives a horse like Napoleon Solo (44) an edge if he can control or sit just off a manageable pace. But the Haskell often attracts at least one truly elite closer or versatile colt, so he'll likely need to move his figures forward again to win.
Given that he was dealing with minor physical issues earlier in the year, there's every reason to think Napoleon Solo (44) can still take a step forward off the Preakness, provided he stays sound and trains steadily into the summer.
Overall outlook
So what can we reasonably expect from Napoleon Solo (44) as the season unfolds?
On the positive side, he already owns two Grade 1 wins—the Champagne at 2 and the Preakness at 3—plus a speed-figure profile that says he belongs with the division's better runners. His tactical speed and professionalism put him in the right spot more often than not, and he has shown he can carry that speed around two turns at classic-type distances.
He also has a trainer in Chad Summers who has been down the big-race road before with top-class sprinter Mind Your Biscuits, and an owner in Al Gold who is no stranger to high-level success. That kind of experienced team can be critical when mapping out a campaign and choosing spots wisely.
The concerns center on his finishing punch against the very best of his crop. The Preakness didn't feature a devastating late kick from Napoleon Solo (44); he was more workmanlike than explosive late, and he'll face deeper fields as the year progresses. If a race sets up for a closer, or if he's pushed harder early than he was at Laurel, he could be vulnerable late.
Still, the combination of tactical speed, proven Grade 1 class, and the likelihood of further improvement now that he's healthier makes Napoleon Solo (44) a major player heading into the heart of the summer. If he can sharpen those late fractions and keep inching forward on the figure scales, the Preakness may ultimately be remembered as the day he turned the corner from promising colt to fully realized star.
Mod1(W): 82 (1/8) Mod2(W): 75 (2/8) Mod3(W): 79 (3/8) Mod1-LS: 55 (6/8) Win Prob: 18.4% Value Score: 1.35 ★