Napoleon Solo is the 2026 Preakness Stakes winner. The 10-1 longshot stunned the field on Saturday evening, May 16, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, racing past hometown favorite Taj Mahal at the top of the stretch to claim the 151st running of horse racing's second Triple Crown jewel. Jockey Paco Lopez and trainer Chad Summers delivered the performance of their careers in one of the most memorable Preakness Stakes results in recent memory.
Where Was the 2026 Preakness Held? Laurel Park Steps In for Pimlico
The 151st Preakness Stakes was held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. This race normally occurs at Pimlico Race Course, but it is under construction, so the Preakness had to be moved. For the first and only time, Laurel Park hosted the Preakness Stakes, the second race of the Triple Crown jewel, due to Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations.
The Preakness Stakes had a post time of 7:01 p.m. ET and aired live on NBC. A beautiful spring day greeted the 4,800 fans in attendance, with sunny skies, zero chance of precipitation, and temperatures in the mid-80s. Despite the new venue, the pageantry of the Preakness was fully on display, with Napoleon Solo ultimately draped in the iconic blanket of Black-Eyed Susans in the winner's circle.
Napoleon Solo Wins the Preakness: Race Recap
Napoleon Solo won the 151st running of the Triple Crown's middle race, taking over the lead by passing hometown favorite Taj Mahal at the top of the stretch and holding off Iron Honor and Chip Honcho for the victory. It was the slowest Preakness in 75 years, with a final time of 1:58.69.
For much of the race, Taj Mahal was leading the way, showing exactly why he was the crowd favorite entering the Preakness — a perfect 3-for-3 horse who had won every single career start at Laurel Park. But Napoleon Solo rallied from an early deficit to pull off the upset. Taj Mahal slid all the way back to the 10th spot in the final finishing order after setting the early pace.
Napoleon Solo's victory marked a career-defining moment for jockey Paco Lopez and trainer Chad Summers, as both secured their first-ever Preakness Stakes triumph. The performance was powerful from start to finish, with Napoleon Solo showing impressive pace and determination in the final stretch to hold off a competitive field.
Preakness 2026 Full Finishing Order
The complete 2026 Preakness finishing order: 1st — Napoleon Solo (10), 2nd — Iron Honor (9), 3rd — Chip Honcho (6), 4th — Ocelli (2), 5th — Incredibolt (12), 6th — Bully By The Horns (8), 7th — The Hell We Did (7), 8th — Great White (13), 9th — Robusta (4), 10th — Taj Mahal (1), 11th — Corona De Oro (11), 12th — Talkin (5), 13th — Crupper (3), 14th — Pretty Boy Miah (14).
It was the first time the Preakness race had a 14-horse field since 2011.
Preakness 2026 Payouts: Full Payout Breakdown
Napoleon Solo paid $17.80 to win, $9.80 to place, and $7.40 to show. Iron Honor paid $9.20 to place and $6.60 to show. Chip Honcho paid $8.20 to show. The exacta paid out $53.60, the trifecta paid $597.10, and the superfecta paid $2,377.80.
The total purse for the 2026 Preakness Stakes was $2 million, with prize money distributed as follows: 1st place — $1.2 million, 2nd place — $400,000, 3rd place — $220,000, 4th place — $120,000, 5th place — $60,000.
Napoleon Solo, Paco Lopez, and Chad Summers: The Winning Connections
Trainer Chad Summers had never had a runner in a Triple Crown race until Saturday. He elected to bypass last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile — even though Napoleon Solo would have been one of the favorites — to get him ready for a 3-year-old campaign. Napoleon Solo was short on fitness in his first start of the year, the Fountain of Youth Stakes, finishing fifth. He then set a hot pace in the Wood Memorial and faded, finishing fifth again.
Perhaps that was the best thing for this former $40,000 purchase, who was able to regroup after the Wood Memorial and train specifically for the Preakness. He had four workouts between the Wood Memorial and the second leg of the Triple Crown and impressed trackside observers with how he was working in the mornings.
Jockey Paco Lopez delivered a masterful ride, keeping Napoleon Solo calm through early traffic before making his decisive move on the far turn and surging past Taj Mahal to seize the lead for good. It was a ride that confirmed Lopez as one of the premier race-day performers on the East Coast circuit.
Taj Mahal, Iron Honor, and Chip Honcho: The Horses That Came Up Short
Taj Mahal entered the Preakness 2026 as the sentimental and statistical favorite. Taj Mahal had something of a home-field advantage — a perfect 3-for-3 in his career with all three wins coming at Laurel Park. He was tied for the second-fastest early speed in the race and started from the rail. He ran his race, set a torrid pace, and led deep into the stretch — but his legs gave out late as Napoleon Solo rolled by.
Iron Honor ran a tremendous second-place effort, earning his connections $400,000 and proving he belongs among the elite of the 2026 Triple Crown generation. Chip Honcho ran on gamely for third under jockey Jose Ortiz, while Ocelli — one of the more intriguing Preakness horses 2026 had to offer — finished fourth.
Golden Tempo Skips the Preakness: Triple Crown Dream Already Over
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes to focus on the Belmont Stakes, following the recent trend of Derby winners bypassing the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. There was already a bit less drama to this year's Preakness as a result, with the field considered wide open from the moment entries were drawn.
Horse racing experts cited the short two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, combined with increasingly strict protocols around race-day medications, as the primary reasons modern trainers are more cautious about running horses in consecutive Triple Crown legs. "These horses have such strict protocols in terms of their going to post without those medications," one industry expert noted.
With Golden Tempo pointing toward Saratoga and the Belmont Stakes, and Napoleon Solo now a Preakness winner, the 2026 Triple Crown season sets up for a fascinating conclusion. The question now is whether Napoleon Solo's connections will point their horse toward the Belmont — and whether the two best horses of the 2026 Triple Crown season will finally meet on the same track in three weeks.
Preakness 2026 Prize Money and What Comes Next
Napoleon Solo's $1.2 million winner's share is by far the biggest payday of his career as a $40,000 purchase now valued at multiples of that figure. For Chad Summers, Paco Lopez, and owner Al Gold, the Preakness Stakes win is the crowning achievement of their racing lives to date.
Winning the Preakness Stakes represents far more than just a financial reward. The race remains one of the defining events in American horse racing and instantly elevates the profile of the winning horse, trainer, and jockey. Even in its temporary home at Laurel Park, the Preakness maintained the pageantry and pressure that make it one of the premier races in the world.
The Belmont Stakes is scheduled in three weeks at Saratoga Race Course, where Golden Tempo and Napoleon Solo could write the next dramatic chapter of the 2026 Triple Crown story.
