Napoleon Solo works with eye on Breeders' Cup Classic

ELMONT, N.Y. - Napoleon Solo, the Preakness winner and Travers runner-up, will likely make his next start in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31, trainer Chad Summers said Thursday.

Summers said Napoleon Solo would be pre-entered in both the Classic and the $1 million Dirt Mile but as of Thursday, the Classic appears to be the preferred spot.

“He’s training to run in the Classic,” Summers said Thursday. “It’s tougher to get one ready to go a mile and a quarter than it is to cut back to a mile. Everything we do is with one eye towards the Classic, but he’ll be cross [pre-entered] in both races. We’ll get together with the team and make a decision after the pre-entries come out because you can.”

Pre-entries close on Oct. 19 and are announced two days later.

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On Thursday, Napoleon Solo worked a half-mile in 48.02 seconds over the Belmont Park main track, his first breeze since his runner-up finish behind Leading Change in the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 29 at Saratoga.

Working by himself, Napoleon Solo, according to track clockers, went his first quarter in 24.68 seconds, his second quarter in 23.34, and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.24 and six furlongs in 1:13.12.

“Everything was good,” Summers said. “Felt like with the [wet] weather coming, just kind of woke up this morning and decided to get this going. . . . It sets up well for our schedule for where we want to be, still trying to figure out when to get to Keeneland.”

Horses can ship in to Keeneland beginning Oct. 17 and the main track opens for training on Oct. 19.

Summers said that after watching The Puma beat Further Ado in Saturday’s Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, he had “a tinge of regret” not being in that race considering Napoleon Solo finished in front of both horses in the Grade 1 Haskell on July 18.

However, Summers said that with a goal of making the Saudi Cup in February with Napoleon Solo, having another race in between the Travers and Breeders’ Cup “didn’t make sense,” he said.

Napoleon Solo will continue to train at Belmont before shipping to Keeneland, where he will get in one workout over the track before the Breeders’ Cup.

“He’s in a good spot. He came out of the Travers really well,” Summers said. “This race will be tougher than the last race, whichever race we end up going in, and he’ll have to bring his best race yet.”

Summers confirmed that John Velazquez, aboard for the Travers, will ride Napoleon Solo in whichever Breeders’ Cup race he runs.

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