Who is the only undefeated, Grade 1 winning on dirt 3-year-old still in training for the Kentucky Derby (G1)?
No cheating with Google or artificial intelligence.
If you look for help from the Top 5 of most lists, like BloodHorse’s Derby Dozen, or the National Thoroughbred Racing Association survey, you won’t find him there, which understandably makes his trainer miffed.
The 3-year-old in question is from Gold Square Napoleon Solo who was last seen in the starting gate on October 4 Aqueduct racecourse when he recorded what was in some eyes the most dazzling performance of the year by a 2-year-old.
In his second career start, he achieved exciting front-running fractions of 1:07.88 and 1:20.90 and romped 6 1/2 lengths in the prestigious Champagne Stakes (G1), completing the one-turn mile in 1:34.57.
But now, as he prepares at Palm Beach Downs for his 3-year-old debut Feb. 28 in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park or the mile Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, Napoleon Solo has become an afterthought in most Triple Crown conversations. He’s ranked 10th in this week’s NTRA Top 3-Year-Old poll and is priced at 25-1 in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager after finishing at 30-1 in the previous round.
“A lot of people have given up on us and forgotten about us,” coach Chad Summers said of owner Al Gold’s son. Liam’s card named after the character ‘The Man from UNCLE’. “I look at polls and rankings. Some people don’t even have us in the top 10. For some reason people ignore him even though he ran the fastest two-year-old race of the year.”
There are a few reasons for this.
One concerns Summers. In a pursuit dominated by Hall of Fame and future Hall of Fame trainers, Napoleon Solo would be his first Kentucky Derby starter as a trainer. Although he owned and trained Group 1 winner Mind Your Biscuits and dealt with numerous top horses, he has only 98 career wins and four victories to his name as of 2017.
“It’s interesting that the speed he shows is comparable to a Bob Baffert horse that would be number one on anyone’s radar. He won by 6 1/2 lengths. Nobody caught him after he was a fifth of a second off the track record for 6 and 7 furlongs. But because of the connections, or whatever it may be, we have to keep proving ourselves. You’re always the underdog,” Summers said. “I am so grateful to Al for giving me the opportunity to work for Gold Square and train this horse.”
Napoleon Solo, a son of the Scat Daddy mare Atomic Blonde, also skipped the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Seaa decision that none of the connections regret due to traveling across the country after a demanding race.
“Shipping to California is hard for a young horse. They are so lightly played,” Summers said.
Purchased for just $40,000 from Glennwood Farm’s consignment at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he is competing for Triple Crown glory against million-dollar rivals. Of course, the 1977 Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew was purchased for just $17,500.
Chad Summers
“He was bred by John Gunther (and Eurowest Bloodstock), who bred Justify and Vino Rosso. He was bought for $40,000 and studs came to look at him and they thought he had five or two legs to sell for that price. It was just the way we went about the sale and we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time and have someone like Al trust us with the purchase of this horse,” said Summers. “The Gunthers have bred some great horses and we were lucky that it was at the end of the day and a lot of people were leaving for the day and we were able to take advantage of it.”
In a few weeks, Napoleon Solo will get the chance to prove the critics wrong. His return will take place at the Fountain of Youth of Gotham with the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 7 as a backup if necessary. The Fountain of Youth and Gotham both offer 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, so a win in either would secure the colt a spot in the Run for the Roses field. With 10 points on the bench from Champagne, even a second would put him in an excellent position to reach the magic number of 50 points.
Although traveling to New York would be complicated, Summers said he feels no pressure to have Napoleon Solo make his double-inning debut on the first Saturday in May, more than two months away.
“We will weigh the pros and cons of each race and determine where we stand from a fitness perspective,” Summers said. “You look at the weather and the competition. We know his best performance has to come in the Kentucky Derby. You don’t want to peak too early. Obviously the two-turn question has to be answered at some point. But do we need the answer on the 28th? No. Whatever race we choose, he will have a target on his back. They will see that gray horse and know where he will be.”
In the meantime, Napoleon Solo will post two more works before returning to the races. In his last breeze on Feb. 5 at Palm Meadows, jockey Kendrick Carmouche (who will ride him at the next start) was on board for a work with a time of :48.
“He started behind a horse and came home in 22 and three or four and galloped out in 1:14. He’s just a special horse,” Summers said.
It was certainly a promising move when Summers and a colt named after a television spy tried to blow up the cynics.
“It’s a good time of year and exciting to be in these positions, and hopefully we make the right decision for our horse. The horse comes first in all our decisions,” Summers said. “To get this horse to the Kentucky Derby for Al would be an incredible thrill.”
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