Napoleon Solo holds off Iron Honor to win the Preakness

Napoleon Solo made his move near the top of the stretch, swept past early leader Taj Mahal and then held off Iron Honor by 1 1/4 lengths to win the 151st Preakness Stakes in 1:58.69 on a fast track at Laurel Park. The 7-1 shot completed the 9 1/2 furlongs with authority, turning a wide-open race into the kind of late duel that gave the middle jewel of the Triple Crown a clear headline of its own. He returned $17.80 on a $2 win bet.

The victory gave trainer Chad Summers and jockey Paco Lopez their first Preakness wins, and it came in a year when the race had to stand on its own. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness, eliminating any Triple Crown possibility before the starting gate even opened, and the field swelled to 14 horses, the largest since 2011. Laurel Park, hosting the race while Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore is rebuilt, capped attendance at 4,800, a sharp contrast from the infield spectacle and live music that have long defined the event. Pimlico is expected to take the race back next year.

Napoleon Solo’s breakthrough also revived a colt whose form had flattened after an eye-catching start to his career. Gold Square’s horse won the Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in October 2025, then finished fifth in both the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial this year. Lopez said he urged Summers to point the colt to the Preakness after the Wood Memorial, while owner Al Gold had wondered whether Napoleon Solo could stay the distance. He answered both questions at once.

“All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn't as good as he was in the Champagne,” Summers said. “This was a win here. People will say it wasn't against the best of the best. We'll find out the rest of the year.”

Iron Honor, who had been the morning-line favorite at 9-2 before drifting to 8-1 at the gate, made a late run but could not catch Napoleon Solo. Chip Honcho was third, while the three horses that also ran in the Kentucky Derby, Ocelli, Incredibolt and Robusta, finished fourth, fifth and ninth. Taj Mahal, the top choice at 9-2 because of his experience at Laurel, set the pace with a 22.66-second opening quarter-mile before fading to 10th. For a sport still trying to hold the attention of casual fans, Napoleon Solo gave the Preakness a clean, marketable winner and a reset point for the rest of the season.