Chad Summers Readies Undefeated Napoleon Solo After Gold Square Purchase

Napoleon Solo put a sharp exclamation point on his winter worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :48 at Palm Meadows, the fastest of 19 recorded drills at the distance that morning. The move was his fourth South Florida workout since mid-January and was run first in company, with his workmate No Rain No Flowers timed in 49.10, and trainer Chad Summers noting he "caught the son of Liam’s Map galloping out in 1:04 and 1:14."

That explosive breeze immediately frames Napoleon Solo as a serious sophomore candidate. The colt arrives undefeated from a 2-year-old campaign that included a 6 1/2-length, front-running score in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont At The Big A on Oct. 4, 2025, a performance that carried a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. He broke his maiden at Saratoga on Aug. 8, 2025 and was purchased for $40,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Bred by John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, Napoleon Solo is by Liam's Map out of Atomic Blonde, a Scat Daddy mare.

Summer preparations have been methodical. Napoleon Solo logged three-furlong works in 36.45 on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21, and a half-mile in 49.11 on Jan. 28 before the recent :48 bullet. One account parenthetically listed the :48 work as Jan. 19, a date that conflicts with other contemporaneous timelines that place the breeze on the Thursday immediately before the early-February reports. Those scheduling discrepancies do not alter the raw numbers: the colt has shown consistent speed figures and a visible physical progression.

Ownership and strategy shifted in recent days with Gold Square Racing buying into the colt. Owner Al Gold said, "He’s doing well. The plan is either the (GII Coolmore) Fountain of Youth (at Gulfstream) or the (GIII) Gotham (at Aqueduct) on Feb. 28 or the (GIII) Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7." Trainer Chad Summers emphasized choices will be made with owners in mind, saying, "We’re down here for a reason, it's not just for the sunshine. We'll leave it up to the boss and Gold Square and we'll see. I think he's on target to be ready for the Fountain of Youth or the Gotham. Obviously it's a one-turn mile as opposed to two-turn, mile and a sixteenth. We'll see who goes to what race."

Connections are clearly laying out classic paths. The Fountain of Youth, Gotham and Tampa Bay Derby each carry major qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby on May 2, with the Fountain, Gotham and Tampa Bay offering 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five. Longer-range routes remain available through the Wood Memorial and Florida Derby should Napoleon Solo move on. Summers added a practical edge to his planning, saying, "We’re just trying to stay one day ahead of Ted Noffey," and he described the colt as "the same horse he was last year, maybe a bit bigger and stronger than he was as a 2-year-old. He knows the difference between the regular days and the breeze days, and he loves his breeze days. He’s very happy."

There are tempering notes. A top Derby power ranking lists Napoleon Solo at No. 3 but cautions that "Stamina is a major doubt for him, as is the form around his Champagne (G1) victory, but there’s still plenty to like." For fans and bettors, the immediate question is tactical - whether Summers and Gold Square will favor a one-turn mile test in New York or a two-turn mile-and-a-sixteenth at Gulfstream on Feb. 28. The work at Palm Meadows answers part of that question with raw speed and fitness. Next weekend's entries and declarations will shape whether Napoleon Solo begins his Derby chase in a sprint-friendly Gotham or stretches out in Florida en route to Louisville.