LAUREL, Md. — Napoleon Solo reemerged as a colt to observe with a victory within the Preakness Stakes.
Now coach Chad Summers desires a shot at Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, whose absence left an underwhelming discipline at Laurel Park this weekend.
“We want he was right here within the Preakness. We have been rooting for them once they have been interested by it,” Summers stated. “Sadly they did not make it right here. That is high-quality. Hopefully we will see him down the street someplace.”
Napoleon Solo held off Iron Honor down the stretch on Saturday, rebounding from a pair of fifth-place showings for his first victory of the 12 months. Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open discipline of 14 horses to contest the center jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this 12 months as a result of Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.
Taj Mahal was the best choice at 9-2 — the longest odds for a Preakness favourite because the race moved to its present distance of 1 3/16 miles in 1925. Iron Honor had been the morning line favourite at 9-2, however he was an 8-1 shot by the point the horses entered the beginning gate.
Taj Mahal broke to the lead early and coated the primary quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds, however the tempo shortly slowed and coach Brittany Russell’s unbeaten colt couldn’t maintain on. He was handed by Napoleon Solo (7-1) close to the highest of the stretch. Iron Honor was a menace late however got here up 1 1/4 lengths quick.
“He was a bit broad on each turns and it in all probability took the starch out of him just a little bit when it mattered late,” stated Chad Brown, Iron Honor’s coach.
Chip Honcho (11-1) was third.
Beforehand a rowdy occasion with throngs of followers and stay music on the infield, the Preakness was contested in a subdued environment this 12 months at Laurel, with attendance capped at 4,800. The observe’s future is unsure — it might be transformed right into a coaching facility.
“It’s a disgrace and it’s a tragedy that racetracks like Aqueduct and Laurel are now not going to be round, as a result of they’re basis racetracks,” Summers stated. “I might simply hope that we get the chance as an trade to rally and save a few of these tracks. We are able to’t enable this to maintain occurring, and there’s solely going to be three or 4 tracks left on the finish of the day.”
The Preakness has lengthy served a number of functions: It’s clearly a necessity for a horse to win the Triple Crown, however it’s additionally a second probability of kinds for people who didn’t make it to the Derby for one cause or one other. This time, it was primarily the latter when solely three horses that ran within the Derby confirmed up.
So it got here to be that Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, who hadn’t raced since ending fifth and seventh within the Wooden Memorial in early April, went face to face once more for a lot greater stakes.
Third-place Chip Honcho was coming off its personal fifth-place end within the Louisiana Derby in March.
Napoleon Solo completed in 1 minute, 58.69 seconds and paid $17.80 on a $2 guess. It was the primary victory in a Triple Crown race for each Summers and jockey Paco Lopez.
The colt received his first two begins final 12 months by spectacular margins, prevailing within the Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in October. He could not preserve that type, nevertheless, ending fifth in each the Fountain of Youth and Wooden Memorial this 12 months.
“All 12 months lengthy, fifth place, fifth place. Everybody stated he wasn’t nearly as good as he was within the Champagne,” Summers stated. “This was a win right here. Folks will say it wasn’t in opposition to the very best of the very best. We’ll discover out the remainder of the 12 months.”
Now Napoleon Solo is being pointed towards the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.
The three horses who did race in each the Derby and Preakness this 12 months — Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Robusta (25-1) — completed fourth, fifth and ninth Saturday.
The race included its most of 14 horses, marking its largest discipline since 14 additionally ran within the 2011 version.
Taj Mahal had run all three of his races at Laurel, which seemingly performed a task as bettors made him the slight favourite over Incredibolt. Russell was attempting to turn into the primary feminine coach to win the Preakness — two weeks after Cherie DeVaux achieved that milestone on the Derby — however Taj Mahal fell again to tenth after main a lot of the best way.
“He obtained away good, and so they have been transferring alongside high-quality, however the winner additionally sat proper on his flank,” Russell stated. “He did what we thought he would do. He simply did not kick on.”