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Napoleon Solo Wins 151st Preakness Stakes; Kentucky Derby Favorite Renegade Scratched in Separate Events

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The 152nd Kentucky Derby and the 151st Preakness Stakes have concluded with distinct outcomes.

Kentucky Derby (152nd Running)

Event Details

  • Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
  • Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
  • Post Time: Approximately 6:57 p.m. ET
  • Distance: 1 1/4 miles
  • Participants: 19 three-year-old horses

Scratches and Field Changes

  • The Puma was scratched on the morning of the race. The horse was listed at 10-1 morning-line odds.
  • Fulleffort (No. 20), Right to Party (No. 5), and Silent Tactic (No. 13) were scratched and replaced by Great White, Ocelli, and Robusta respectively.

Favorite

  • Renegade (4-1 morning-line odds) was the betting favorite. The colt, ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., won the Arkansas Derby and Sam F. Davis Stakes prior to the Kentucky Derby. Renegade drew post position No. 1. The last winner from post position No. 1 was Ferdinand in 1986.

The favorite Renegade was scratched before the race. The Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, did not compete in the Preakness.

Morning-Line Odds (Post Position Order)

    1. Renegade (4-1)
    1. Albus (30-1)
    1. Intrepido (50-1)
    1. Litmus Test (30-1)
    1. Commandment (6-1)
    1. Danon Bourbon (20-1)
    1. So Happy (15-1)
    1. The Puma (10-1) (Scratched)
    1. Wonder Dean (30-1)
    1. Incredibolt (20-1)
    1. Chief Wallabee (8-1)
    1. Potente (20-1)
    1. Emerging Market (15-1)
    1. Pavlovian (30-1)
    1. Six Speed (50-1)
    1. Further Ado (6-1)
    1. Golden Tempo (30-1)
    1. Great White (50-1)
    1. Ocelli (50-1)
    1. Robusta (50-1)

Key Contenders and Connections

  • Commandment (6-1): Ridden by jockey Luis Saez. Won the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes.
  • Further Ado (6-1): Ridden by jockey John Velazquez. Won the Blue Grass Stakes and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
  • Chief Wallabee (8-1): Ridden by jockey Junior Alvarado, trained by Bill Mott. The duo won the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with Sovereignty.
  • The Puma (10-1): Ridden by jockey Javier Castellano, trained by Gustavo Delgado. The duo won the 2023 Kentucky Derby with Mage. (Scratched)
  • So Happy (15-1): Ridden by jockey Mike Smith. Won the Santa Anita Derby.
  • Emerging Market (15-1): Ridden by jockey Flavien Prat. Won the Louisiana Derby.
  • Potente (20-1) and Litmus Test (30-1): Trained by Bob Baffert, who has six Kentucky Derby wins, tied for the record with Ben Jones.

Broadcast Information

  • Initial coverage on FanDuel TV from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET.
  • Undercard coverage on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
  • Primetime coverage on NBC and Peacock beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Analyst Predictions

  • Gene Menez (SportsLine): Menez recommended fading the favorite, Renegade, and was high on Chief Wallabee. His top pick was described as "the big winner of the post draw."
  • Michelle Yu (Racing analyst): Yu advised fading Commandment and was high on The Puma. Her top pick was described as a horse "screaming for more ground."
  • Jody Demling (SportsLine): Demling recommended against picking Renegade, Commandment, or Further Ado as the winner. He was high on a longshot described as a horse that "demolished the field" in its last start.

Weather

  • The forecast called for cool but dry weather.

Preakness Stakes (151st Running)

Race Summary

  • Winner: Napoleon Solo (7-1 odds)
  • Margin of Victory: 1 1/4 lengths over Iron Honor
  • Time: 1:58.69
  • Second Place: Iron Honor
  • Third Place: Chip Honcho

The Preakness Stakes was won by Napoleon Solo, a 7-1 shot, marking the first Triple Crown race win for his owner, trainer, and jockey.

Event Details

  • Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
  • Location: Laurel Park, Laurel, Maryland (temporary relocation due to redevelopment of Pimlico Race Course)
  • Post Time: Approximately 7:01 p.m. ET
  • Field: 14 horses (largest since 2011)
  • Attendance: Capped at 4,800

Morning-Line Favorites and Final Odds

  • Iron Honor was the morning-line favorite at 9-2 but went off at 8-1.
  • Taj Mahal was the post-time favorite at 9-2.

Race Narrative

  • Taj Mahal led the early pace, covering the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds.
  • Napoleon Solo passed Taj Mahal near the top of the stretch.
  • Iron Honor mounted a late challenge but finished second.

Winning Connections

  • Owner: Al Gold (first Triple Crown race win)
  • Trainer: Chad Summers (first Triple Crown race win)
  • Jockey: Paco Lopez (first Triple Crown race win)

Winning Details

  • Napoleon Solo was purchased by owner Al Gold for $40,000 at a 2024 auction.
  • The horse was named after a character from the television series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
  • Payout: $17.80 on a $2 bet to win.

Background on Winner

  • Napoleon Solo won the Champagne Stakes in October 2023 by 6 1/2 lengths.
  • Entered 2026 with fifth-place finishes in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Wood Memorial Stakes.
  • The Preakness Stakes was the horse's first victory of 2026.

Kentucky Derby Participants in the Preakness

  • Ocelli: Finished 4th
  • Incredibolt: Finished 5th
  • Robusta: Finished 9th

Notable Details

  • Trainer Chad Summers, who started training in 2017 after working as a racing writer, entered Napoleon Solo in his first Preakness.
  • Jockey Paco Lopez's victory was his first in a Triple Crown race.
  • The Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, did not compete in the Preakness. This marked the third time in five years the Derby winner skipped the race.
  • Golden Tempo is expected to start in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course.

Historical Context

  • No woman has trained a Preakness winner. The closest finish was by Nancy Alberts, whose horse Magic Weisner placed second in 2002.
  • The largest Preakness field prior to this year was 14 horses in 2011, when Shackleford defeated Derby winner Animal Kingdom.