2026 Preakness Stakes Results: Napoleon Solo Wins the Middle Jewel at Laurel Park
Napoleon Solo tracked the favourite through sharp early fractions, seized the lead turning for home, and held off Iron Honor to win the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park — ending the Triple Crown dream before it began.
The 2026 Preakness Stakes is over, and its winner is one of the horses we identified before the race as a serious live angle: Napoleon Solo, trained by Chad Summers and ridden by Paco Lopez, stalked a hot pace set by favourite Taj Mahal, swept past him at the top of the stretch, and held on through the final furlong to win the second leg of the Triple Crown by roughly a length. With Golden Tempo having skipped to preserve his run for the Belmont, and Renegade also sitting out, the race was genuinely wide open — and the horse who had come into it off back-to-back fifth-place finishes delivered one of the more authoritative performances on the day.
Here is the full picture: results, payouts, what the race means, and what it sets up for Saratoga on June 6.
2026 Preakness Stakes Results: Full Finish Order
The 151st Preakness Stakes ran over one mile and three sixteenths at Laurel Park, Laurel, Maryland on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Post time was 7:01 p.m. ET. The field of 14 was the largest since 2011. Napoleon Solo finished in 1:58.69 on a fast track.
| Finish | Horse | Post | SP Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Napoleon Solo | 10 | +1000 | Paco Lopez | Chad Summers |
| 2nd | Iron Honor | 9 | +450 | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown |
| 3rd | Chip Honcho | 6 | +500 | Jose Ortiz | Steve Asmussen |
| 4th | Ocelli | 2 | +600 | Tyler Gaffalione | D.W. Beckman |
| 5th | Incredibolt | 12 | +500 | Jaime Torres | Riley Mott |
| 6th | Bull by the Horns | 8 | +3000 | Micah Husbands | Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| 7th | The Hell We Did | 7 | +1500 | Luis Saez | Todd Fincher |
| 8th | Great White | 13 | +1500 | Alex Achard | John Ennis |
| 9th | Robusta | 4 | +3000 | Rafael Bejarano | Doug O'Neill |
| 10th | Taj Mahal | 1 | -450 | Sheldon Russell | Brittany Russell |
| 11th | Corona de Oro | 11 | +3000 | John Velazquez | Dallas Stewart |
| 12th | Crupper | 3 | +3000 | Junior Alvarado | Donnie Von Hemel |
| 13th | Pretty Boy Miah | 14 | +1500 | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Jeremiah Englehart |
| 14th | Talkin | 5 | +2000 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Danny Gargan |
SP Odds in US moneyline format. Taj Mahal was 9/2 post-time favourite.
Napoleon Solo broke from post 10, tracked Taj Mahal's fast early fractions of 22.66 and 44.66, moved up on the outside around the far turn, took the lead entering the straight, and held on comfortably as Iron Honor made a sustained late run. Chip Honcho closed for third. Taj Mahal, the 9/2 post-time favourite and unbeaten in three starts at Laurel, faded to finish 10th — beaten more than 13 lengths.
2026 Preakness Stakes Payouts
Napoleon Solo paid $17.80 to win, $9.80 to place, and $7.40 to show on a $2 base. Iron Honor returned $9.20 to place and $6.60 to show. Chip Honcho paid $8.20 to show. The exacta (posts 10/9) paid $53.60 on a $2 base. The trifecta (10/9/6) returned $597.10 on a $0.50 base. The superfecta (10/9/6/2) returned $2,377.80 on a $1 base.
| Bet Type | Combination | Base Stake | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Napoleon Solo | $2 | $17.80 |
| Place | Napoleon Solo | $2 | $9.80 |
| Show | Napoleon Solo | $2 | $7.40 |
| Place | Iron Honor | $2 | $9.20 |
| Show | Iron Honor | $2 | $6.60 |
| Show | Chip Honcho | $2 | $8.20 |
| Exacta | 10–9 | $2 | $53.60 |
| Trifecta | 10–9–6 | $0.50 | $597.10 |
| Superfecta | 10–9–6–2 | $1 | $2,377.80 |
The $2 million purse was distributed as follows: $1,200,000 to the winner, $400,000 for second, $220,000 for third, $120,000 for fourth, and $60,000 for fifth. Of the winner's share, 80% goes to ownership, with trainer and jockey each receiving 10%.
How Napoleon Solo Won the Preakness Stakes
Napoleon Solo's Preakness win was built on pace awareness and a clean trip. Taj Mahal, breaking from post 1, did exactly what his record at Laurel suggested he would — he went straight to the front and attempted to dictate throughout. The fractions were honest rather than suicidal, which gave Napoleon Solo a platform to work from.
Paco Lopez positioned the grey colt just off the pace, tracking through the first turn and down the backstretch without burning unnecessary energy. As the field turned for home, Napoleon Solo was already travelling on Taj Mahal's outside. Lopez asked for his run at the top of the stretch and the response was immediate — Napoleon Solo put Taj Mahal away inside the final three furlongs and had enough left to hold Iron Honor at bay in the closing stages.
It was a mature ride from a jockey who has been consistent at the mid-tier Triple Crown meetings but had not previously won a Triple Crown race. For Summers, it was his first major win since 2017 and his first ever at a Triple Crown venue.
The performance also rewrites Napoleon Solo's 2026 narrative. He had come into the Preakness off consecutive fifth-place finishes in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial — results that had kept his odds long and his reputation uncertain. His Champagne Stakes win in October 2025, by more than six lengths with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, had pointed to a horse with genuine class. The Preakness confirmed it.
What the Preakness 2026 Result Means
No Triple Crown Possible in 2026
With Golden Tempo having skipped the Preakness, there was never a Triple Crown on the table. The Kentucky Derby winner has now bypassed the second leg in three of the past five years, a trend that reflects the increasing caution trainers show around the two-week gap between the Derby and the Preakness. Trainer Cherie DeVaux was direct about her reasoning: Golden Tempo is not a horse built for a two-week turnaround, and she was not willing to compromise his soundness or his Belmont preparation for the sake of the middle leg.
DeVaux's position is becoming standard for top connections. The Triple Crown, as a clean sweep of all three legs, has not been achieved since Justify in 2018, and the growing willingness to bypass the Preakness makes it increasingly rare as a genuine possibility.
Brittany Russell's History-Making Attempt Falls Short
Before the race, the angle attracting significant attention was Brittany Russell's shot at becoming the first female trainer to win the Preakness — two weeks after Cherie DeVaux had made history at the Kentucky Derby. Russell saddled Taj Mahal, who arrived as the 9/2 favourite and carried the weight of both a genuine on-form case and a compelling storyline. Taj Mahal was unbeaten in three starts and all three wins had come at Laurel — a home-track advantage the field could not claim.
It did not happen. Taj Mahal led into the stretch before his effort gave way, and he came home 10th, beaten more than 13 lengths. The defeat was comprehensive rather than unlucky. Russell had her horse in the ideal spot and the horse simply did not produce on the day. The history-making opportunity remains open for another meeting.
Great White Back Without Incident
Great White, who had been scratched at the gate of the Kentucky Derby after rearing and throwing his jockey in a dramatic pre-race incident, returned for the Preakness and completed the race without incident. Trainer John Ennis had been adamant the gate episode cost the horse nothing physically, and his presence in the Preakness field allowed that case to be tested. The horse ran without incident, though he was not a factor in the finish.
Early Takeaways for the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes — the 158th running of the final leg of the Triple Crown — takes place on Saturday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course. Belmont Park's ongoing renovation means the race returns to Saratoga for a second consecutive year. Last year, Sovereignty beat Journalism by three lengths in a Kentucky Derby winner versus Preakness winner rematch. There is no clean equivalent in 2026, but the Belmont sets up with genuine intrigue.
Golden Tempo Arrives as the One to Beat
Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness specifically to build for Belmont, and trainer Cherie DeVaux has been deliberate throughout. The Kentucky Derby winner has had a month off since Churchill Downs and will arrive at Saratoga fresher than Napoleon Solo, who runs three weeks after his Preakness effort. Golden Tempo's closing speed — he was last entering the stretch at Churchill Downs before sweeping the field — should suit a mile and a half at Saratoga. He is the likely betting favourite.
Napoleon Solo: Fresh Winner, Legitimate Contender
Napoleon Solo now has a Triple Crown race on his résumé and connections have confirmed he is being pointed to the Belmont. His biggest pre-Preakness win came at the Champagne Stakes, run at Belmont Park — he will not have the same home-track familiarity at Saratoga, but his form is trending sharply upward and Chad Summers will send him into June with confidence. Whether he can produce a third gear against Golden Tempo over an extra quarter mile will be the central question.
Renegade: The Rematch Story
Renegade finished second in the Kentucky Derby having overcome a rail draw and a bumped start. Todd Pletcher shipped the colt to Saratoga after the Derby and has been eyeing the Belmont as the next target. If connections confirm, the Golden Tempo versus Renegade rematch becomes the main event — two horses who fought out the Derby finish, now with a month's added rest, over a longer trip at a different track. That storyline, and the betting market it generates, will dominate the Belmont build-up.
Worth Watching: Chief Wallabee and Iron Honor
Chief Wallabee, trained by Bill Mott, finished fourth at the Kentucky Derby and is being aimed at the Belmont. Mott won this race in 2025 with Sovereignty and has a strong record at Saratoga — this is a horse whose Derby run (fourth from post 12) demonstrated staying ability, and a mile and a half could suit him better than the Derby trip did. Iron Honor, second in the Preakness having tracked Napoleon Solo throughout, could return for a third leg and will arrive with a confidence boost from his Laurel run. His form in 2026 has been inconsistent, but he showed enough in the stretch to suggest he belongs in this conversation.
Bet the Belmont Stakes at MyWinners
The Belmont Stakes runs on Saturday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course. You can bet on the Belmont — and every race on the Saratoga card — online and in-venue at MyWinners.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
