Plan Change Sends Napoleon Solo to Wood Memorial

Grade 1 winner Napoleon Solo is returning to the site of his biggest career win to date with the hope of getting his standing on the Road to the Kentucky Derby back on track. Gold Square's son of Liam's Map was supplemented to the Arkansas Derby (G1) being run March 28 at Oaklawn Park, where he would have faced seven other challengers and was set at 6-1 in the morning line. Instead, the gray or roan colt is being aimed for the April 4 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he won last fall's Champagne Stakes (G1) during the Belmont at the Big A meet, confirmed the colt's owner Al Gold. Like the Arkansas Derby, the Wood Memorial delivers 100 Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points to the winner and doles out a corresponding 50-25-15-10 points to the next four finishers. "We talked it over as a group and he had won at Aqueduct, so we thought that was the best spot for him," Gold said. Trained by Chad Summers, Napoleon Solo has been wintering at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida. His last start was in the Feb. 28 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), in which an awkward start and a wide trip left in fifth place at the end. The colt has been putting in some sharp works since the Fountain of Youth, going 5 furlongs in 1:00 2/5 March 12 and in :59.65 at the same distance March 19. Summers purchased Napoleon Solo for $40,000 for Gold at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of Glennwood Farm's consignment. Glennwood bred the colt out of stakes winner Atomic Blonde, who is a daughter of Scat Daddy and also placed in a stakes at Aqueduct. According to Daily Racing Form, other horses being considered for the Wood Memorial include: Bravaro, Buetane, Civil Liberty, Courting, Creole Chrome, Iron Honor, Ocelli, Ottinho, Red Zone Runner, Right to Party, Steel, Taj Mahal, and Talk to Me Jimmy. Apart from Napoleon Solo, these contenders include only one other graded stakes winner, which is Iron Honor. The son of Nyquist owned by St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence, and Glassman Racing won the Gotham Stakes (G3) by a length with trainer Chad Brown. He last worked 4 furlongs in :49.97 over Belmont Park's training track. Other black-type stakes winners in the potential field include Talk to Me Jimmy, who won the Feb. 6 Withers Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct; Red Zone Runner, who won the March 3 City of Brotherly Love Stakes by 15 1/2 lengths at Parx Racing going 1 1/16 miles; and, Taj Mahal, who won the Miracle Wood Stakes going a mile Feb. 21 at Laurel Park. Senior Correspondent Bob Ehalt contributed to this report.