Napoleon Solo, the GI Preakness Stakes winner, was sold this week to ESPOIR USA, Inc., Al Gold confirmed, ending Gold Square LLC's ownership of the colt but not altering his immediate racing plans.
The napoleon solo preakness sale is drawing attention because the transfer happened while the horse remains pointed to the Grade I Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 18 — a rare, high-profile sale that leaves the competitor in place rather than shipping to a new trainer or stable.
The move reshapes the ledger for a two-time Grade I winner who has three wins from five starts and $1.56 million in earnings. Napoleon Solo also added last year’s Champagne (G1) to his résumé and was purchased for $40,000 as a yearling, facts that underline both his rapid rise and the sport’s volatile market for top 3-year-olds.
Chad Summers, who will continue to train the colt, struck a cautious tone about the change: "Very appreciative of everything that Al did to get us to this point. It's going to feel awkward putting different blinkers and different silks on him, but Napoleon's still Napoleon and we're excited to make him champion 3-year-old at the end of the year, and they can hold the trophy up together," he said, later adding, "I'm appreciative of the new owner allowing us to keep the horse." Those comments make clear the practical continuity for the horse even as ownership shifts.
That continuity is precisely the story’s friction. While Gold sold Napoleon Solo, the colt will not move camps and remains on track for the July 18 Haskell — a decision that preserves immediate planning and public expectations even as the behind-the-scenes control changes hands. Al Gold described the transaction plainly: "It was just a business decision, that’s all," and conceded the personal cost: "It's very hard. I have mixed feelings about it."
Details about the buyer are sparse. David Grening reported that Gold Racing sold Napoleon Solo to ESPOIR USA for an undisclosed amount; the principals of ESPOIR USA were not disclosed, and the entity is not listed in Equibase as an owner. Those gaps matter because the new connections have already signaled long-term intentions — they plan to race Napoleon Solo next year as a 4-year-old and to retire him to Lane's End at the conclusion of his career, a move confirmed to a racing publication by David Ingordo — but the lack of transparency about who now controls the colt leaves open questions about how those plans will be executed.
For now, the practical next steps are clear: Napoleon Solo will remain in Chad Summers’s barn and continue toward the GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 18. What remains unresolved — and what will determine the colt’s future beyond that race — is who is behind ESPOIR USA and what price persuaded Gold to sell; until those names and figures are disclosed, owners, trainers and the market will be watching whether this sale was simply a business move or the start of a different long-term campaign for a top 3-year-old.
