Even with a seven-horse field for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), trainer Chad Summers has no regrets about his unbeaten, grade 1-winning 2-year-old Napoleon Solo being in Kentucky instead of Del Mar at the moment.
Normally a 6 1/2-length winner of the Champagne Stakes (G1) would be bound for the World Championships and a shot at an Eclipse Award.
But in the Champagne, owner Al Gold's son of Liam's Map ran 6 furlongs in 1:07.88 en route to a clocking of 1:34.57 for the mile.
The problem?
He ran a blistering 1:07.88, just .34 shy of the 26-year-old track record of 1:07.54
"You're here at the Breeders' Cup and hear about the scratches in the Juvenile and the small field and you have a strange feeling about what you are doing for a moment. But we feel we did the right thing by the horse in not running," Summers said of the 2-for-2 2-year-old. "We're excited for 2026 and we'll see where it takes us."
As visually impressive as the Champagne was, the race has been flattered by the way a few of the horses who finished behind Napoleon Solo ran in subsequent starts. Universe, who was third, was second in the Street Sense Stakes (G3), and Stradale, who was fifth, won a maiden race by 5 1/2 lengths in fast time.
"I thought the speed figures were a little slow for the Champagne. The way he did it was incredible. When Joel Rosario gets off the horse after the Champagne and says he's better than (Summer's multiple grade 1 winner) Mind Your Biscuits, that's not something we take lightly. We're excited about seeing the Juvenile and who will be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but there are no regrets. We're happy with where we are."
At the moment, Napoleon Solo is at LaCroix Training Center under the watchful eye of Del Lowell.
"I trust Del with my life," Summers said. "You can turn a horse like him out but you also want to sleep at night and not worry about him. He's been a very happy horse with Del."
Eventually, Napoleon Solo will head south to Palm Meadows in Florida to prepare for his 3-year-old campaign, but Summers has yet to formulate any plans for his road to Churchill Downs.
Another of Gold's horses, Two Out Hero with trainer Kevin Attard, is targeting the 2026 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, so at the moment that's the only Derby prep with an X through it
"We will take a wait-and-see approach. There are big preps all around the country every week. We'll let him tell us when and where he should run. He's won at two different racetracks so we know we can take his show on the road," Summers said.
