Napoleon Solo, the dual Grade 1 winner who took the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park a fortnight ago, has been sold by owner Al Gold to ESPOIR USA, Inc., with trainer Chad Summers retained to continue the colt's campaign.

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo, who helped broker the transaction, confirmed the horse remains on course for the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 18, with plans to race him through next year before a retirement to Lane's End at the conclusion of his career. Financial terms, including the purchase price and the identity of ESPOIR USA's proprietor, were not disclosed.

Gold, who watched horses train at Saratoga on Friday morning, acknowledged the weight of the decision while framing it in pragmatic terms. "It was just a business decision, that's all," he said. "It's very hard. I have mixed feelings about it." The sale proceeded despite Gold's long-standing ambition to own a horse of this standing, and the fact that it moved forward speaks to the scale of the offer received.

The colt's trajectory has been striking. Summers purchased Napoleon Solo, a son of Liam's Map, for $40,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale. At two, the horse won both career starts, highlighted by a 6½-length victory in the Grade 1 Champagne at Aqueduct. His three-year-old campaign began with fifth-place finishes in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in February and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in April — the latter coming just a week after a bruised foot forced a scratch from the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

The Preakness represented a significant turnaround. Napoleon Solo stalked pacesetter Taj Mahal before asserting at the top of the stretch, winning by 1¼ lengths over Iron Honor. Training was subsequently curtailed for more than a week while the sale was finalised.

The Haskell carries particular resonance for Gold, who won the race in 2022 with Cyberknife and has held a box on the Monmouth finish line alongside longtime friends Ron Riccio and Lou Filoso for four decades. Watching Napoleon Solo run in different silks from that vantage point will be a different experience entirely. "I'm going to feel like [crap]," Gold said plainly, before adding that he would be rooting for Summers given their relationship, even as the emotions remain unresolved.

Summers, also present at Saratoga on Friday, was measured and forward-looking, acknowledging the transition while keeping focus on the season's larger objective. "Very appreciative of everything that Al did to get us to this point," he said. "It's going to feel awkward putting different blinkers and different silks on him, but Napoleon's still Napoleon and we're excited to make him champion 3-year-old at the end of the year, and they can hold the trophy up together." His gratitude that the new ownership retained him was evident, and the stated goal — a championship title — remains unchanged regardless of who holds the papers.

Image Preakness