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Napoleon Solo won the 2026 Preakness Stakes, the 151st edition of the race, on Saturday.
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.
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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)
“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 PK Press Club Digital earlier this week.
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.
A general view as helmets rest on the gate before the Sir Barton Pickets at Laurel Park. (Mandatory credit: Amber Searls/Imagn Images)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON THE HISTORY OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY AS THE FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
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.
Horses parade past the paddock before an undercard race before the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026, in Laurel, Maryland. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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.
