Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness Stakes

Napoleon Solo won the 2026 Preakness Stakes, the 151st edition of the race, on Saturday.

The Taj Mahal favorite, Horse 1, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As the Taj Mahal fell, Iron Honor, the 9th horse, slipped through, but the effort was ultimately not enough.

Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of three horses to compete in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth with an 8-1 record.

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A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on the track before the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park hosts the Preakness Stakes which is the second running of the crown jewel of the Triple Crown due to the race’s traditional home of Pimlico Race Course being completely renovated. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

A $1 exacta brought in $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone is very lucky, because a $1 superhighfive – selecting the first five in order – paid out $12,015.70.

Additionally, a 20-cent Pick 6 – selecting the winners of six consecutive races, the final being the Preakness, brought in $33,842.34.

The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty didn’t run the Preakness last year — and ended up winning the Belmont Stakes — the Golden Tempo training team opted to skip the Maryland race.

From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not compete in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown was already impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness rolled around.

“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux told Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, passes Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stéphanie Scarbrough)

CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON THE HISTORY OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY AS THE FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE

Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta and Incredibolt – were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11th horse Saturday, was eliminated well before the Derby, and Great White, who reared and fell on his back after being startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took 13th Saturday.

The Preakness came about 24 hours after a horse died after finishing its very first race.

Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, entered the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact – and after crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, went to his knees, then lowered his head and died.

The Preakness was held at Laurel Park while Pimlico underwent renovations. This was the first time Pimlico did not host the race, moving about 20 miles south.

Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stéphanie Scarbrough)

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The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third consecutive year as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.

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