Napoleon Solo Conquers Preakness And Wins Second Leg Of Triple Crown

BusinessSportsMoneyNapoleon Solo Conquers Preakness And Wins Second Leg Of Triple CrownByDanny Brewer,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Danny Brewer has been covering Thoroughbred/horse racing since 2006.Follow AuthorMay 17, 2026, 06:43pm EDTNapoleon Solo used a stalking trip to win the 151st running of the Preakness StakesLaurel Park The 2026 Preakness run at Laurel Park is now in the books and Winner Napoleon Solo has placed himself in the conversation as one of the top three-year-old colts in the country. A pace stalking trip that saw him take control of the 151st running of this second leg of the Triple Crown at the top of the stretch etched his name in history. Booted home a length and a quarter to the good by jockey Paco Lopez, this Chad Summers trained gray colt was no doubt the best on Maryland’s biggest day of racing.Why Napoleon Solo Was A Logical Choice Especially At Odds Of 7 to 1 Napoleon Solo came into the 2026 Preakness slightly overlooked. An outstanding two- year-old campaign that saw this son of Liam’s Map win both starts by a combined 12 lengths had him at the top of the list for Triple Crown contenders entering 2026. Included in those starts was a 6 ½ length score in the grade 1 Champagne Stakes, which by the way made him the only starter in Preakness 151 with a grade 1 win. After the turn of the new year, however, the growing pains of becoming a three-year-old set in and two starts in graded stakes action resulted in two fifth place finishes. The Fountain of Youth Stakes on February 28 at Gulfstream Park saw him stalking the early pace but empty at the top of the stretch. The Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 4 was more Napoleon-like in the beginning as he assumed the lead early, but retreated as the runners rolled toward the finish. Despite the two off the board finishes, this striking colt out of the mare Atomic Blonde was still very equipped to win a race like the Preakness. Three starts in gra...