By admin 
Espoir USA’s Napoleon Solo turned in another sharp work over the main track at Belmont Park on Friday, breezing a solo six furlongs in 1:11 flat shortly after the conclusion of the 8AM renovation break in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup later this month at Keeneland.
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Trained by Chad Summers, the son of Liam’s Map started off his work well behind a pair of trainees for Rudy Rodriguez, but closed in on them in the stretch before edging clear along the inside and powering through the wire with a few taps of the crop from regular exercise rider Emily Ellingwood ahead of a robust gallop-out.
“it was kind of a stamina-building breeze. He started out great, I had him in 13 [seconds for the first eighth], 37 and change, moving right along, but the problem when you breeze on a fresh track when you have a horse as competitive at Napoleon, they kind of want to go get the horses in front of them,” Summers said. “He went and got them, and after that, he was able to go on with his gallop out. The key today was getting that big gallop-out into him – he galloped out a mile and an eighth and that’s what we were looking for.
“I’m truly of the belief that he doesn’t need the lead,” Summers added. “I don’t think he minds running down a target and we saw that this morning. He’s worked purposefully with a target in front of him many times over the last two years.”
Napoleon Solo has now worked three times at Belmont, including a sharp five-furlong bullet in 58 seconds flat on October 1 under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. The winner of the Grade 1 Preakness in May at Laurel Park will enter the Breeders’ Cup off a pair of half-length runner-up efforts in Grade 1 company, bested by Baby Vino in the NYRA Bets Haskell in July at Monmouth Park and by Leading Change in the DraftKings Travers in August at Saratoga Race Course.
Napoleon Solo will be pre-entered in both the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and the 10-furlong Breeders’ Cup Classic, with Summers noting the colt will most likely contest the latter.
“It’s all going to be up to the team. We’ll pre-enter in both races, and we’ll see,” Summers said. “At this stage, I would be surprised if we didn’t run in the Classic.”
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Summers also updated on promising sophomore colt Game for It, who has been away from the races since a fourth in the Listed Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs. The son of Known Agenda returned to the work tab on September 25 here with the first of two three-furlong breezes, and moved up to a half-mile breeze in 47.70 on Friday.
“He’s just a really special horse,” Summers said. “Unfortunately, he got hurt, but he just loves to train.”
He is campaigned by Gold Square, Wynnstay and Summers, who said Game for It is targeting an allowance in the coming weeks for his return to the races.
A handful of Breeders’ Cup contenders were also on the tab at Saratoga Race Course’s Oklahoma training track this morning, including Filly and Mare Sprint prospect Ways and Means, who covered a half-mile in 48.86 seconds for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.
Turf Sprint aspirant Cy Fair covered the same distance in 50.64 for trainer George Weaver, while Juvenile Turf prospect Liam’s Law went a half-mile in 51.02 for Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher.
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 10:38 AM.