Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness

Napoleon Solo gave the Preakness Stakes a new winner, a first-time Triple Crown-winning trainer and a temporary home all at once on Saturday. The gray colt, trained by Chad Summers and ridden by Paco Lopez, won the 151st running at Laurel Park in Maryland after the race was moved there during Pimlico Race Course’s redevelopment. (bloodhorse.com) BloodHorse reported that Napoleon Solo beat Iron Honor by 1 1/4 lengths in the $2 million Grade 1 race, while the Maryland Jockey Club’s Preakness card drew $108,741,963 in betting handle across 14 races. The result gave Summers his first victory in any Triple Crown race, and it gave Lopez his first classic win as well, according to race coverage published Saturday. (nyra.com) Napoleon Solo went off at about 7-1 and covered the distance in 1:58.69. ### Why was the Preakness run at Laurel Park instead of Pimlico? The 151st Preakness was held at Laurel Park because Pimlico is being rebuilt, ending more than a century of the race being staged at its usual Baltimore home. Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office said the race would return to a reimagined Pimlico in 2027. (bloodhorse.com) Laurel Park, about 20 miles from Pimlico, became the site for the 2026 edition while the redevelopment moved forward. The Maryland Jockey Club had previously scheduled Preakness day at Laurel for May 16, 2026. (bloodhorse.com) ### How did the race unfold in the stretch? Napoleon Solo tracked the early pace before moving past the leaders around the far turn and staying on in the stretch. BloodHorse said the colt’s victory was “never-in-doubt” by the finish, with Iron Honor making a late bid but settling for second. (governor.maryland.gov) Race coverage from CBS Sports and other outlets said the favorite Taj Mahal showed speed early from the rail before fading, while Iron Honor closed for second and Chip Honcho finished third. The official winning time widely reported after the race was 1:58.69. (bloodhorse.com) ### Who are the people behind Napoleon Solo? Chad Summers, a New York-based trainer, picked up his first Triple Crown race win with Napoleon Solo after the colt had missed the Kentucky Derby. BloodHorse said owner Al Gold of Gold Square joined Summers and Lopez in the winner’s circle after the race. (bloodhorse.com) Paco Lopez, the winning jockey, also earned his first classic victory with the ride. Coverage published after the race described Napoleon Solo as a top 2-year-old who had lost momentum earlier this year before returning to form in the Preakness. (cbssports.com) ### What did the betting and attendance figures show? The Maryland Jockey Club’s 14-race card handled $108,741,963, down 1.2% from the comparable 14-race card a year earlier, BloodHorse and Equibase reported. Those figures came despite attendance being capped at 4,800 at Laurel Park, compared with 52,574 at Pimlico last year, according to the same reports. (bloodhorse.com) The smaller on-site crowd reflected the temporary venue and its capacity limits rather than any change in the race’s place on the calendar. BloodHorse described the handle as strong given the reduced attendance and the one-year move from Pimlico. (cbssports.com) ### What comes next in the Triple Crown series? The Belmont Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival running from June 3 through June 7. The New York Racing Association said the 2026 race will be the third and final Belmont held at Saratoga before the event returns to Belmont Park in 2027. (bloodhorse.com) Early post-Preakness coverage has already placed Napoleon Solo among the horses to watch for that race, alongside Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo. Entries and post positions are typically finalized closer to race week, with the June 6 Belmont now the next major date on the Triple Crown calendar. (bloodhorse.com) (nyra.com)