Napoleon Solo Targets Preakness After Impressive Training
Owner Al Gold and trainer Chad Summers are giving Napoleon Solo one more opportunity at two-turn success in the $2 million Preakness Stakes on May 16 at Laurel Park, despite the colt’s perfect 2-for-2 record coming exclusively in one-turn races as a juvenile.
The Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner at Aqueduct last fall has struggled in his two sophomore starts around two turns, finishing fifth in both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth (beaten 11¾ lengths) at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial (beaten 2¾ lengths) at Aqueduct.
Summers attributes these performances to specific circumstances rather than distance limitations. The Fountain of Youth came off a layoff with the colt insufficiently prepared and breaking poorly. A heel bruise then forced Napoleon Solo to miss the Arkansas Derby in late March and disrupted his Wood Memorial preparation, where he weakened after setting the pace. Notably, Ocelli, who finished third in that Wood, validated the form with a strong third in the Kentucky Derby.
“The rust of the first race, the ailment of the heel bruise are behind him,” Summers explained. “To me, he looks like he’s finally the horse that we want him to be and just kind of continue from where he was as a 2-year-old.”
Exceptional Work Pattern
Napoleon Solo’s three Belmont Park workouts since the Wood Memorial have been exceptional, highlighted by a blazing six-furlong breeze in 1:10 on May 2—an unusually fast time for the training track. Summers clocked the gallop-out at one mile in 1:36.
“It’d be one thing if I’m pushing him to come up with those fast workout times and you’re trying to act like Secretariat in that movie going into the Belmont Stakes,” Summers noted. “It’s just him. He’s always been a naturally, really, really good work horse.”
While acknowledging that Napoleon Solo might ultimately excel at sprint distances like the seven-furlong Grade 1 Allen Jerkens later this summer, Summers sees opportunity in a Preakness field lacking other Grade 1 winners.
“If he can sit off and then have that burst of energy at Laurel where at least we’re running to the first wire and not the second, it might be tough for the closers to come from behind,” Summers reasoned.
Jockey Continuity
Paco Lopez, who partnered with Napoleon Solo in the Wood Memorial, retains the mount for the Preakness. Summers praised Lopez’s dedication and versatility.
“Paco wants to win so much. He’ll ride a $5,000 claimer at Parx on Monday and a Grade 1 on Saturday and he’ll give you the same ride. He lets horses do what they want to do, and I think that’s what this horse is all about.”
Napoleon Solo will have one final workout Saturday at Belmont before shipping to Laurel on Sunday.
Derby Connections Stay Busy
Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey Jose Ortiz made a whirlwind trip from Kentucky to New York on Thursday, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Yankees-Texas Rangers afternoon game before rushing back to Louisville for Churchill Downs’ 5 p.m. card.
While Golden Tempo’s connections opted to skip the Preakness in favor of the June 6 Belmont Stakes, Ortiz secured the Preakness mount aboard Chip Honcho, whom he rode to a maiden victory last November at Churchill.
Ortiz expressed no surprise at DeVaux’s decision to bypass the quick turnaround. “She never in her career has run a horse back in two weeks, I wasn’t expecting this one to be the first one,” he said.
