Preakness winner Napoleon Solo sold for undisclosed amount
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dual Grade 1 winner Napoleon Solo, who two weeks ago won the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, has been sold by owner Al Gold to ESPOIR USA, Inc. The horse will remain with trainer Chad Summers.
The plan is to race him next year, and he will be retired to Lane’s End at the conclusion of his career, according to David Ingordo, a bloodstock agent who helped broker the deal.
Details of the sale were not made public, including the price paid for the horse and the proprietor of ESPOIR USA. But, given Gold’s long pursuit of having a horse of this caliber, it was obviously an offer that was too lucrative to turn down.
“It was just a business decision, that’s all,” Gold said Friday morning while watching horses train at Saratoga. “It’s very hard. I have mixed feelings about it.”
Summers said the horse, who is stabled at Belmont Park, still remains pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 18.
Summers purchased Napoleon Solo, a son of Liam’s Map, for just $40,000 at the 2024 Keeneland yearling sale in September of 2024. At age 2, Napoleon Solo won both of his starts, including the Grade 1 Champagne at Aqueduct by an eye-catching 6 1/2 lengths.
At 3, Napoleon Solo finished fifth in both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in February and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in April. He ran in the Wood only one week after a bruised foot forced him to scratch from the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
In the Preakness, Napoleon Solo stalked the pacesetting Taj Mahal before taking over at the top of the stretch and winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Iron Honor. Napoleon Solo didn’t train for more than a week after the Preakness as the sale was pending.
Gold said it will be awkward sitting with his friends Ron Riccio and Lou Filoso at Monmouth Park watching Napoleon Solo run in the Haskell. Gold, who lived near Monmouth Park for years, won the race in 2022 with Cyberknife, calling it as big a win as he’s ever had.
“I’m going to feel like [crap]. I’m going to sit in the box with my friends – one of whom it’s his 80th birthday – they’ve had boxes on the finish line for 40 years,” Gold said. “I’m going to root for him [Summers] because it’s him, but I’ll have very mixed feelings.”
Summers, who also was at Saratoga Friday morning, said he was thankful to the new owners for keeping the horse with him.
“Very appreciative of everything that Al did to get us to this point. It’s going to feel awkward putting different blinkers and different silks on him, but Napoleon’s still Napoleon and we’re excited to make him champion 3-year-old at the end of the year, and they can hold the trophy up together,” Summers said. “I’m appreciative of the new owner allowing us to keep the horse.”
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