LAUREL, Md. (AP) — Napoleon Solo held off a late charge from Iron Honor to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, securing his first victory of the year after a pair of fifth-place finishes.
Race Overview
The Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, was absent from the race, leaving a competitive field of 14 horses to contest the second jewel of the Triple Crown. The event was held at Laurel Park this year due to ongoing renovations at Pimlico in Baltimore.
Taj Mahal entered as the betting favorite at 9-2 odds, marking the longest odds for a Preakness favorite since the race adopted its current distance of 1 3/16 miles in 1925. Iron Honor, initially the morning-line favorite at 9-2, drifted to 8-1 by post time.
Race Dynamics
Taj Mahal broke sharply and led through the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds. However, the colt trained by Brittany Russell could not maintain the pace and was overtaken by Napoleon Solo near the top of the stretch. Iron Honor mounted a challenge late but fell 1 1/4 lengths short at the wire.
The victory marked the first Triple Crown race win for trainer Chad Summers and jockey Paco Lopez. Napoleon Solo paid $17.80 for a $2 bet.
Background
Napoleon Solo had impressed early in his career, winning his first two starts by wide margins, including a 6 1/2-length triumph in the Champagne Stakes in October. However, he struggled in his next outings, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth and the Wood Memorial. Iron Honor also competed in the Wood Memorial, finishing two spots behind Napoleon Solo.
"All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasn't as good as he was in the Champagne," Summers said. "This was a win here. People will say it wasn't against the best of the best. We'll find out the rest of the year."
Field and Atmosphere
The race featured its maximum of 14 horses, matching the largest field since 2011. Three horses that ran in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness—Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1), and Robusta (25-1)—finished fourth, fifth, and ninth, respectively.
The Preakness, typically a rowdy event with large crowds and live music, was held in a subdued atmosphere at Laurel Park, with attendance capped at 4,800. Taj Mahal, who had raced all three of his previous starts at Laurel, was a slight favorite over Incredibolt. Trainer Brittany Russell was attempting to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness, following Cherie DeVaux's milestone victory in the Derby two weeks earlier, but Taj Mahal faded to 10th after leading much of the race.
