All roads lead to Haskell for Napoleon Solo as Summers maps out route
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The connections of Napoleon Solo know where they want to get this summer with their 3-year-old colt. They’re just not sure what path to take the remainder of the spring.
The Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth Park is “the early summer goal” for Napoleon Solo, trainer Chad Summers said. His owner, Al Gold, is a New Jersey guy. Cyberknife’s victory in the 2022 edition is arguably his racing highlight.
After watching Napoleon Solo work a half-mile in 48.24 seconds Friday morning with a solid gallop-out of 1:12.80 for six furlongs over the Belmont Park training track, Summers feels that last year’s Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner will be ready for an early- to mid-May race.
Options include the Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on May 2; the Long Branch, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race at Monmouth Park on May 9; or one of a trio of races at Laurel Park on May 16, including the Preakness at 1 3/16 miles, the Sir Barton at 1 1/16 miles, or the Chick Lang at six furlongs.
“He’s had two fifth-place finishes to start the year. He’s a better horse than that,” Summers said. “You want to put him where he’s going to be the most successful.”
In February, Napoleon Solo was fifth in the Fountain of Youth, his first start in 147 days and one in which he broke poorly. He came back in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at 1 1/8 miles on April 4 and was in contention until about the sixteenth pole, when he faded and finished fifth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Albus. Napoleon Solo was battling a foot issue in the weeks leading up to the Wood.
“You wanted to see he’s over the hoof bruise,” Summers said after Friday’s work. “I was proud of his effort in the Wood, given what he was dealing with.”
Also on Friday, Summers worked his stakes-winning filly Dry Powder, who went a minute in 1:00.17 in preparation for a likely start in the Grade 2 Ruffian, a one-turn mile race here on May 9.
Dry Powder, who won last year’s Cathryn Sophia Stakes and was beaten a neck in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx, is coming off a 5 3/4-length allowance win at Gulfstream Park on March 12.
“She came out of her last race super,” Summers said. “She stumbled coming out of there a little, but Dylan [Davis] was able to get her settled and she ran a great race that day. It was a solid two-other-than.”
Lights Out Leni, a debut winning 3-year-old filly at Aqueduct on April 3, worked a half-mile in 49.18 seconds Friday morning. She is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes at Laurel on May 15, Summers said.
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