Napoleon Solo Wins 151st Preakness Stakes at Longshot Odds, Denying History for Female Trainer

Napoleon Solo pulled off one of the more satisfying upsets of this Preakness season, surging from second place to overtake pacesetter Taj Mahal in the final stretch and winning the 151st running of the race at Laurel Park. The 7-1 shot held off a late charging Iron Honor — ridden by Flavien Prat — by 1¼ lengths, with Chip Honcho third and Kentucky Derby near-shocker Ocelli fourth. Taj Mahal, the 9-2 favorite, faded to 10th.

The victory was the first Triple Crown win for both jockey Paco Lopez and trainer Chad Summers, and it came with a deeply personal backstory for each. Summers, a New Jersey native, assembled the horse on a shoestring — owner Al Gold let him hand-pick Napoleon Solo for just $40,000. Despite what Summers described as a turbulent 3-year-old season filled with setbacks and public critics, the team stayed the course and delivered on racing's second biggest stage. The pace, meanwhile, was the slowest Preakness in 75 years, and Napoleon Solo became the first horse to win from the No. 10 post position since Real Quiet in 1998.

For Lopez, 40, the win carried enormous emotional weight. A native of Veracruz, Mexico, he began riding at age 14 and immigrated to the U.S. two decades ago. Now with over 4,000 career wins, he dedicates every race to his late grandfather, who told him as a young child he would become a great jockey. The Preakness win represents the pinnacle of that journey.

The race also had broader historical stakes that went unfulfilled. Taj Mahal's trainer, Brittany Russell, had a chance to become the first female trainer ever to win the Preakness — a bid that ended with her horse's 10th-place finish. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the race entirely, extending the Triple Crown drought to eight consecutive years with no sweep in sight.

The setting itself was unusual: Pimlico Race Course is undergoing a nine-figure renovation, forcing the race to Laurel Park, a venue with a capacity of just 4,800. Despite the downsized surroundings, the 14-horse field was the largest in 15 years — though notably, not a single entrant had previously won a Grade 1 or Grade 2 race. The day also marked a farewell for NBC reporter Donna Brothers, a former jockey with over 1,000 career wins, who conducted her final trackside interview after the race.