Napoleon Solo turns on speed in Champagne Stakes, gains possible spot in BC Juvenile
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. - On the list of ways trainer Chad Summers thought Napoleon Solo could win Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne, going gate to wire after setting super-fast fractions wasn’t at the top of the list.
“This might have been Plan F,” Summers said.
But it was effective nonetheless as Napoleon Solo took Joel Rosario to the lead, set rapid fractions and came home a dominant 6 1/2-length winner of the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct.
Talkin rallied from at least 10 lengths back to get second by three-quarters of a length over Universe. It was another length back to It’s Our Time, the 2-5 favorite in fourth. Stradale, who bobbled at the break, finished fifth, followed by Curtain Call, Aye Eye, Stickupwithoutagun and Just Asap.
Summers was expecting Napoleon Solo to come from off the pace in the Champagne. But he broke sharp under Rosario, opened up a one-length lead while running an opening quarter in 22.53 seconds, and kept on running fast. The recorded fractions were 44.24 for the half-mile, 1:07.88 for six furlongs and the mile in 1:34.27.
“It wasn’t the plan,” Summers said. “We thought we were going to come from behind, sit second, third, something like that. He broke running, nobody else did. When you put a jockey like Joel Rosario on your horse we can plan and prepare and do everything we want, as long as we want. Once those gates open, it’s up to the jockey.”
Rosario was riding Napoleon Solo because Kendrick Carmouche, who rode him on debut, chose to ride Talkin instead.
“I thought, honestly, he would sit third or fourth, but he broke so well and I don't try to take anything away, because it was easy for him,” Rosario said. “I kind of went to another plan after that. It looked like he was doing it easy.”
The victory earned Napoleon Solo ($15.94) a Beyer Speed Figure of 94 and a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Del Mar, but Summers was reticent to immediately accept that invitation.
“I’m concerned about how fast they went,” said Summers, who trains the son of Liam’s Map for Al Gold. “Obviously, it’s dynamic and you have a chance to compete for champion 2-year-old of the year and a stallion deal and things like that, which you have to take into consideration, but we have to consider the horse as well. And having to fly out to California for a third straight year, it’s something you have to take under consideration. I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone that we're going to the Breeders’ Cup right now.”
Talkin is unlikely to go to the Breeders’ Cup, but trainer Danny Gargan was very pleased with how well his colt ran from so far back.
“I’m real pleased with him, I thought he ran huge,” said Gargan, who one race earlier won the Grade 1 Frizette with Iron Orchard. “We all know he’s a two-turn horse, doing things he doesn't really want to do. Chad’s horse freaked today. … I didn’t want Kendrick to engage them early and use him and fade. I said I’m trying to teach this horse because I think he’s going to be at two-turn horse.”
The pre-race focus of the Champagne was It’s Our Time, who had won his debut by 17 3/4 lengths at Saratoga. Under Luis Saez, It’s Our Time chased those blazing early fractions from second but faded to fourth, beaten 8 1/4 lengths.
“The horse on the lead ran superb, that three-quarter time is outstanding,” Tom Amoss, the trainer of It’s Our Time said. “We were trying to win the race, so we’re constantly in chase mode and it eventually caught up to us the last eighth of a mile. We did the dirty work and it was a lot better than a real fourth-place finish. Nonetheless the winner gets all the credit, he looked really good.”
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