Napoleon Solo Wins the Preakness at Laurel Park, plus all the other big stories from the world of horse racing
Napoleon Solo won the Preakness at Laurel Park, giving Paco Lopez, Chad Summers and owner Al Gold a first success in the Triple Crown.
Also in this week’s WHR Weekly:
๐ฏ๐ต Christophe Lemaire records a 100th G1 win with Embroidery in the Victoria Mile
๐ฌ๐ง Notable Speech returns to form in the Lockinge
๐ฆ๐บ Rothfire wins the Doomben 10,000 at eight
Attention now turns to Irish Guineas weekend, while Romantic Warrior bids for the Hong Kong Triple Crown and the Japanese Oaks takes centre stage at Tokyo.
What’s Happened
๐ฆ๐บ Australia ๐ฆ๐บ
There was a fairytale in the G1 Doomben 10,000 on Saturday when eight-year-old Rothfire won it – six years after his previous top-level success. Trained by Rob Heathcote and ridden by Brad Rawiller, Rothfire became the oldest horse to win the Doomben 10,000 since it was first run in 1933 and the first Australian horse in over two decades to claim G1s at both two and eight years of age.
There was a thrilling finish to the G2 Spirit of Boom Classic when just a neck and a head separated winner Vantorix from Martist and Dream Roca. The winning favourite was trained by Jenny Graham and ridden by James McDonald.
The ex-John Gosden-trained Middle Earth collected his first win since moving to Australia in the G3 JRA Chairman’s Handicap, while Chris Waller’s Kilman sprang a surprise in the G3 Rough Habit Plate.
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช
Naas staged two G3s on it’s ‘Royal Ascot Trials’ card on Sunday and both went to O’Briens. Aidan sent out Victorious to be just that in the Fillies Sprint Stakes under Ryan Moore, while Donnacha’s Havana Anna – last seen running down the field in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint – took the Lacken Stakes.
๐ฏ๐ต Japan ๐ฏ๐ต
Christophe Lemaire grabbed the headlines on Sunday when Embroidery gave him his 100th career G1 win in the Victoria Mile at Tokyo. It was top level success number three for the mare, who beat last year’s Oaks winner Kamunyak by a length and a quarter.
๐ฌ๐ง UK ๐ฌ๐ง
G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Notable Speech collected the fifth G1 of his career when unleashing an impressive turn of foot in the Lockinge at Newbury on Saturday. Given a confident ride by William Buick, Charlie Appleby’s five-year-old beat More Thunder by two lengths and has Royal Ascot’s G1 Queen Anne next in his diary.
Kalpana is also bound for the Royal meeting after holding off the boys in the G3 Aston Park Stakes. Andrew Balding’s mare and Colin Keane beat West Wind Blows by a neck and now heads to either the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes or G2 Hardwicke.
Earlier in the week, there was history at the three-day Dante Festival at York when See The Fire became the first horse to win Thursday’s G2 Middleton Stakes twice. The Balding-trained filly beat Red Letter by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Oisin Murphy.
Balding doubled up, also taking the week’s featured G2 Dante – a notable Derby trial- with the unbeaten Item. The Juddmonte-owned colt is now three from three after beating Action by two and three-quarter lengths.
It was a good week for Juddmonte who also won the G3 Musidora, an Oaks trial, with Legacy Link, trained by John and Thady Gosden.
There was a minor surprise in the G2 Minster Stakes which went to Elmonjed, for trainer William Haggas and jockey William Buick. The Shadwell-owned gelding beat two G1 winners, Kind Of Blue and Regional, and will now seek a top-level win of his own.
Jockey Ray Dawson’s excellent season continued when he bagged Friday’s G2 Yorkshire Cup on Rahiebb, trained by Roger Varian.
๐บ๐ธ USA ๐บ๐ธ
Aqueduct’s last ever G1 winner became Laurel Park’s first when Napoleon Solo landed the Preakness on Saturday. The lone top-level winner in the field of 14, Paco Lopez tracked the early pace on the Chad Summers-trained grey, going for the lead off the far turn and always holding off favourite Iron Honor on the run to the line.
The victory was a first in the Triple Crown for Lopez, Summers, and owner Al Gold, who will aim their colt next at the G1 Haskell at Monmouth on July 18th. The Preakness will return to its usual home, Pimlico, next year.
Fort Washington has a defence of the G1 Arlington Million in his sights after a return to winning ways in the G3 Dinner Party Stakes. Ridden by Junior Alvarado, the Shug McGaughey-trained seven-year-old beat A Bourbon For Toby by three-quarters of a length.
Trainer D Whitworth Beckman was out of luck with popular maiden Ocelli in the Preakness but did take the G2 Maryland Sprint with Bring The Smoke, while the G3 Gallorette Stakes went to the Graham Motion-trained Warming.
On Friday, My Miss Mo – scratched from the Kentucky Oaks – made amends with victory in the G2 Black Eyed Susan for trainer Saffie Joseph Jnr and jockey Tyler Gaffalione.
What’s Happening
๐ฆ๐บ Australia ๐ฆ๐บ
The G1 Doomben Cup, won last year by Antino, takes place in Queensland. A stellar line-up is likely to include popular stars Pride Of Jenni and Half Yours, while Birdman could bring up a 200th G1 win for trainer Chris Waller.
๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong ๐ญ๐ฐ
Romantic Warrior attempts to become just the third horse to win the Hong Kong Triple Crown on Sunday when he runs in the G1 Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin. His task has been made tougher by the arrival of two runners trained in Japan, Rousham Park and Deep Monster.
๐ฎ๐ช Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช
It’s Irish Guineas weekend at The Curragh, with Newmarket runner-up Gstaad hotly tipped to land the 2000 Guineas for Aidan O’Brien, who will also send out English 1000 Guineas heroine True Love in the fillies’ race. The G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup also takes place on Sunday, with multiple G1 winner Ombudsman among the likely runners.
๐ฏ๐ต Japan ๐ฏ๐ต
The G1 Yushun Himba, or Japanese Oaks, is the feature at Tokyo on Sunday. The 2400metre turf contest dates to 1938 and was won in 2025 by Kamunyuk, trained by Yasuo Tomomichi.
The G3 Heian Stakes takes place at Kyoto on Saturday.
๐ซ๐ท France ๐ซ๐ท
Two G1s take place at ParisLongchamp on Thursday. The G1 Prix d’Ispahan has been renamed the Prix Aga Khan IV and is likely to attract Charlie Appleby’s exciting G1 winner Opera Ballo. It’s followed by the G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, for the stayers.
๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa ๐ฟ๐ฆ
The G1 Gold Medallion and G1 SA Fillies Sprint share the spotlight at Scottsville, while the G2 Allan Robertson Championship and G2 Golden Horse Sprint support the main action.
๐ฌ๐ง UK ๐ฌ๐ง
๏ปฟ
Haydock stages the G2 Temple Stakes, often a guide to the G1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, and the G2 Sandy Lane Stakes, prep for the G1 Commonwealth Cup. Aussie star Asfoora is among the likely runners in the former.
