'This is the icing on the cake' - Napolean Solo strikes in the Preakness to give Chad Summers his first Triple Crown race win

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Napoleon Solo left his previous form behind to dominate the Preakness Stakes and give trainer Chad Summers a winner with his first runner in the race.

The son of Liam's Map had finished fifth in Grade 2 company on his previous two starts and had not been in the winner's enclosure since landing the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct in October.

• $40,000 Liam's Map colt lands Classic laurels in Preakness Stakes 

However, he returned to form in style with a decisive length-and-a-quarter victory under Paco Lopez in Saturday's Grade 1 contest, which was staged at Laurel Park for its 151st running while renovations continue at its traditional home of Pimlico.

Owned by Al Gold, Napoleon Solo had originally been pencilled in for the Kentucky Derby, the opening leg of the Triple Crown, but a series of setbacks, including a heel bruise, prompted connections to focus instead on the second jewel in the iconic series, a decision that paid off handsomely for Summers.

"I told a lot of people that I thought this was going to be the best performance of his life," said Summers. "Nothing went right to start his three-year-old year. We started off a little bit behind the eight ball.

"I just feel like I'm proud of the horse. I felt he deserved it. I feel I let him down with his two fifth-place finishes in his first two starts [this year]. 

"I felt like I let the owners, Gold Square, down trying to get to the Derby. To get this victory is the icing on the cake."

Iron Honor finished runner-up in the 14-runner field, with Chip Honcho a further three and a quarter lengths back in third. Fourth home was Ocelli, who had finished third in the Kentucky Derby.

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