NAPOLEON SOLO - Champagne Stakes 2025 - Coglianese Photo / NYRA
Gold Square’s undefeated Grade 1 winner Napoleon Solo continues to train forwardly toward his 3-year-old debut which could come in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Working for the fourth time in South Florida since mid-January and first in company, Napoleon Solo went four furlongs in 48 seconds over the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. It was the fastest of 19 recorded works at the distance.
Trainer Chad Summers said he caught the son of Liam’s Map galloping out in 1:04 and 1:14. Napoleon Solo’s workmate, unraced but well-regarded 3-year-old Maxfield colt No Rain No Flowers, was timed in 49.10 seconds.
“It went very well. I was very happy with it,” Summers said. “We’re right on pace for where we need to be, [and] very excited about where we are. We’ll go one day at a time, see how he is tomorrow, and get with Gold Square and try and figure out a plan.”
Napoleon Solo has not run since a 6 1/2-length upset of the Oct. 4 Champagne (G1) going a one-turn mile last fall at Aqueduct. In his only other start, he captured his unveiling by 5 ¼ lengths last August sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga.
“He’s doing well. I’m very thankful to be down here at Palm Meadows. You see what the weather has been like up and down the East Coast, so we’re very thankful to be down here and training the horse every day,” Summers said.
“We came down here with a plan of getting six works into the horse before his first race. That’s what Sovereignty did last year,” he added. “I have all the respect in the world for Hall of Fame [trainer] Bill Mott, so we’ll try and kind of mimic that plan a little bit.”
Sovereignty made his sophomore debut, winning the Fountain of Youth last March and suffered his only loss of the season when second in the Florida Derby (G1) before going on to win the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1) and be named champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year.
Napoleon Solo previously worked three furlongs in 36.45 seconds Jan. 14 and 21 and went a half in 49.11 Jan. 28. Both the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth and Aqueduct’s one-mile Gotham (G3), also on Feb. 28, are under consideration for the season opener.
“We’re down here for a reason, it’s not just for the sunshine,” Summers said. “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.”
Napoleon Solo was among 367 horses nominated to the Triple Crown by the initial Jan. 28 deadline and one of three for Gold Square. One is stakes winner Two Out Hero, a last-out third in the Summer (G1) Sept. 13 at Woodbine for trainer Kevin Attard, and the other is Toga Twist. Third in the Funny Cide for New York-breds last summer, Toga Twist was bred by Gold Square and runs for Legion Racing, GenSax Racing, Flash Toga Farm, Echo Sam and Steven Lovelette.
Arkansas Derby (G1) and Haskell (G1) winner Cyberknife, trained by Brad Cox, represented Gold Square in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.
“To see our name on the list among the elite of the elite is a lot of fun. For Gold Square to have three horses nominated to the [Triple Crown] and a horse they bred is a big salute to the program that Al Gold and Gold Square have established.
“Running in the Derby a few years ago with Cyberknife wasn’t maybe the outcome they wanted. To win the Arkansas Derby and the Haskell after that and be second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile [G1] is nothing to sneeze at. Going to the Kentucky Derby, it’s got to be on everybody’s list. We’d definitely love the opportunity to get back there again, hopefully this year.”
Press Release – Gulfstream Park Media Office
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