Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Napoleon Solo

Oct 09, 2025 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Napoleon Solo wins the Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)

Gold Square's Napoleon Solo earned 10 points on the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series after posting a dominant, 6 1/2-length triumph in the $500,000 Champagne S. (G1) at Aqueduct on Oct. 4. Trained by Chad Summers and ridden by Joel Rosario, the winner ran one-mile on the fast main surface in a fleet 1:34.57 en route to his wire-to-wire stakes tally.

'I thought, honestly, he would sit third or fourth, but he broke so well and I don't try to take anything away, because it was easy for him,' explained Rosario. 'I kind of went to another plan after that. It looked like he was doing it nice and easy, so I just rode him and hopefully no one was faster than him.'

“You don’t have a lot of horses that go 44 and change and keep going,' added Summers. He did it, it wasn’t really the plan, but Joel [Rosario] said he just broke so easy and he had so much horse in hand, he goes, with the way the track is playing, let’s just go ahead.”

Talkin, Universe, It’s Our Time, and Stradale came next and picked up qualifying points on a 5-3-2-1 structure.

Napoleon Solo was a debut winner while going six furlongs on the Saratoga dirt on Aug. 8 and improved his career line to 2-2-0-0, $319,000. He was bred in Kentucky by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock, and was purchased for a bargain $40,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The colt was produced from the stakes-winning Scat Daddy mare Atomic Blonde, who captured the 2020 South Beach S. at Gulfstream Park.

He has displayed a big measure of early foot while recording Brisnet Speed ratings of 94 and 98 from his two lifetime tries to date. The son of Liam’s Map is not likely to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar on Oct. 31, according to his connections.