When Al Gold became a Thoroughbred race horse owner some 20 years ago, he had a bucket list.
Cyberknife checked off a few of them, giving the New Jersey native an initial grade 1 win in the Arkansas Derby, then a victory in the 2022 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Gold's beloved Monmouth Park, and at career's end, a lucrative stallion deal. Gold added several more grade 1 wins in the ensuing years, but had also longed for something else, namely a Triple Crown victory.
That glorious moment arrived about two months ago when his Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo, a 3-year-old that trainer Chad Summers bought for Gold for a mere $40,000, triumphed in the Preakness Stakes (G1). On that memorable day at Laurel Park, Gold spoke with joy about targeting the Haskell with the son of Liam's Map in hopes of collecting a second victory in the centerpiece stakes at the track where he grew up.
With the July 18 Haskell on the horizon, Gold will be at Monmouth for its biggest day of racing as Napoleon Solo will indeed be running in the $1 million Haskell. Spending the day at the races with some lifelong friends such as Lou Filoso, he will watch his Gold Square horses in race 1, followed by race 2, where his horse is named Filoso; and he will cap the day with Dry Powder in the $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2).
Noticeably absent from that list of races with Gold's horses is the Haskell.
In a tale of the ultimate mixed bag of emotions, Gold no longer owns Napoleon Solo. Receiving what was described by one person involved in the sale as "an offer he could not refuse," Gold suppressed his heavy heart and sold the racing and breeding rights to Napoleon Solo to Espoir USA for an undisclosed, but no doubt staggering, sum of cash.
"I had a big case of seller's remorse in the beginning," Gold said about a sale initiated three days after the May 16 Preakness. "But logic took hold. I talked to my daughter and my lawyer, and they said it was a no brainer. 'You have to do it.' "
As both a trainer and friend, Summers advised Gold the deal was too good to pass up.
"It was not an easy decision to make by any stretch of the imagination, but Al had to sell him," Summers said. "I'd say 99.99999% of people would have done it."
As hard as it was for Gold to part with his classic winner, as time has passed since the sale, he understands how the volatile economics of racing dictated he accept such a lucrative offer.
"I regretted it at first, but since I sold him, I lost my two best 2-year-olds to injury and Howard Wolowitz, who made $1.7 million for me, has a suspensory injury and won't run anymore," the 70-year-old Gold said. "Then I Love Giraffes fell in a stakes and suffered a hip injury (she will be sidelined at least five months and there's a possibility she may not race again). We lost a few horses and I have 70 other horses with very, very expensive monthly bills. So it was actually a timely thing to sell him."
While Gold is now just a spectator of Napoleon Solo, the rest of the colt's team is still with him as the new owners retained Summers to train the freakishly fast but quirky colt who is expected to continue to race next year.
"The offer came in on Tuesday after the Preakness. I thought I would not have the horse anymore and I cried all the way up from Maryland to Belmont. Once the deal was done, I received a call saying they were going to let me see this through and stay with the horse," Summers said. "We were able to keep him with the team that knows him best. That's not just the trainer, it's the groom, his rider, and his walker. We are very attached to him and everyone understands why he was sold and are appreciative of the new owners letting us stay with him. He has his quirks. He's not an easy horse to groom, walk, or ride."
The sale had its roots a year ago shortly after the colt bred by John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock registered a dazzling, 6 ½-length victory in the Champagne, covering the first 6 furlongs in 1:07.88.
David Ingordo, a key member of Lane's End Farm's bloodstock team, pointed out the colt to the Espoir team after that win.
"The purchaser is a client of ours and the farm. We've done several transactions with them prior to this. They were interested in buying a top horse and we started with 2-year-olds of 2025. When Napoleon Solo won the Champagne, I thought it was one of the most impressive 2-year-old races I saw that year. The numbers came back good and I know the track was quick that day but I liked the race," Ingordo said. "I had seen him as a yearling and I'm one of the idiots that didn't buy him for $40,000. Well done to (Gold) and Chad for getting him. He's by Liam's Map, whose a sire we are familiar with, and the Gunthers are amazing breeders and friends."
Nothing came from that big juvenile score, but following Napoleon Solo's 1 ¼-length win in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, Espoir's interested surged. It was an amazing performance by a colt Gold originally planned to name Open Sundays because he did not expect him to run in major Saturday races.
"They had tried to buy a few other horses and we couldn't get it done, so when Napoleon Solo won the Preakness, they remembered how much we liked him last fall," said Ingordo, who describes himself as a point person in the sale, "and like 'The Godfather,' we made Al a deal he couldn't refuse."
Espoir wanted the new owners' names and the sale price to remain private. But the offer was, in a word, huge. It had to be to convince Gold to make the heart-breaking decision to sell the colt. Gold said he had a price in his head of what the multiple grade 1 winner was worth and the offer far exceeded it. With Napoleon Solo becoming a stallion at Lane's End as part of the deal, Summers gauged interest from other farms in the 3-year-old to compare offers and none of them came close.
"I was surprised," Gold said, who knew of the group since they also purchased his grade 1-winning mare Full Count Felicia. "I got an offer for 25% of him which I thought was low and then this offer came in and it was very high. It was far more than I expected. It was an opportunity to pay a lot of bills. You have to sell in this game. You just can't keep all of them. This game is very expensive if you want to do it at my level without partners ... It was a financial decision."
Ingordo, who plans to represent the new connections at the Haskell, said he is their lone horse racing in the United States.
"People like their privacy and I respect that," Ingordo said. "They are people that internationally have a lot of horses and plenty of success. They are beginning to do more and more in America and hopefully the success they have had overseas will continue here."
Summers' past success winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) in the Middle East twice with Mind Your Biscuits surely helped his cause as long-term goals call for Napoleon Solo to run in the Saudi Cup (G1) and/or the Dubai World Cup (G1) next year.
"Chad is a competent horse trainer. He's done well with this horse and others and the ownership was respectful that he had the success he has enjoyed with the horse," Ingordo said. "He's been given the opportunity to continue on and I have no doubt the horse will continue to run well."
In the Haskell, Napoleon Solo will face the toughest test of his five-race career against six rivals that include grade 1 winner Further Ado as well as the grade 1-placed trio of The Puma, Iron Honor, and Ocelli. The latter two are the Preakness runner-up and fourth-place finisher.
Gold will be there, rain or shine.
Only this time when Napoleon Solo runs, he'll be watching as a fan with a healthy bank account, some unforgettable memories, and likely some second-guessing.
"I was emotionally charged for the Preakness. I wanted to win a big, major race. I had been in the game for more than 20 years as an owner and I've won six grade 1s. But the Preakness is one of the major races and I always wanted to win one of those," Gold said. "On Saturday, I have three horses running. My emotions will be with them and I'll be rooting for Chad and 'Napoleon.' I wish the fellow who bought him the best."
