A horse almost didn’t race in the Preakness. Thanks to a jockey’s suggestion, it won.

Horse racingA horse almost didn’t race in the Preakness. Thanks to a jockey’s suggestion, it won.Napoleon Solo was not among the favorites to win the 151st Preakness Stakes, but belief in the horse’s potential paid off with a big win SaturdayListen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Horse trainer Chad Summers, right, celebrating Napoleon Solo's win with jockey Paco Lopez and owner Al Gold following the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday.Patrick Smith / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 16, 2026, 10:01 PM EDTBy Andrew GreifBefore winning the 151st Preakness Stakes, Napoleon Solo almost wasn’t entered in the race known as the middle jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Napoleon Solo had won the first two races of its career in 2025, but this year had competed twice and finished fifth place both times. It was after the second race, April’s Wood Memorial, that jockey Paco Lopez told the decision-makers behind the horse, owner Al Gold and trainer Chad Summers, that there was more to its potential than its most recent finishes indicated.“Paco told Chad after the Wood to go to this race,” Gold said on the NBC Sports broadcast. “I didn’t want to come here, I didn’t think this horse could go this far.”For months, Gold and Summers had concerns about how the 3-year-old horse would fare over the 1 3/16th mile distance at Laurel Park, the temporary Maryland home of the Preakness due to renovations at its longtime home course, Pimlico.“The last few days we were worried about, can he go the distance? Are we gonna get loose?” Gold said. The horse did, and then some, en route to earning the Woodlawn Vase trophy.In a wide-open, 14-horse field after Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade both sat out, pre-race favorite Taj Mahal ran in front entering the final straightaway but Napoleon Solo, with Lopez aboard, stayed close and th...