Napoleon Solo gears up for Haskell, a 'long rest of the year'

Napoleon Solo breezed Thursday at Belmont Park, his second work since winning the Preakness Stakes.

Now pointed to the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes on July 18, the Liam's Map colt went five furlongs in 58.89 seconds, fastest of 10 at the distance.

"He's good," trainer Chad Summers said Friday morning. Now, he said, the task is to "just try and keep improving. … I think we've got a long rest of the year to go."

Napoleon Solo was 2-for-2 as a juvenile, including a score in the Champagne Stakes (G1). He started this year with fifth-place finishes in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Wood Memorial (G2) before scoring in the Preakness.

"His 2-year-old campaign, everything went right," Summers told Horse Racing Nation ahead of the Preakness. "His 3-year-old campaign, everything’s gone wrong. … He's finally 100%."

This weekend, Dry Powder is entered for Summers in the Lady's Secret Stakes, a local prep for the Molly Pitcher (G2) on the Haskell undercard. The 4-year-old Gun Runner filly finished on the board in her first six starts last year before an eighth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. This year, she won an optional-claiming allowance in March and was fourth last out in the Ruffian (G2).

As for the Lady's Secret on Sunday, Summers said, "We have to beat Chad Brown." Brown's entry is Inefficiency, who finished third in the Ruffian after starting the year 2-for-2.

Another Summers runner, I Love Giraffes, won her February debut at Gulfstream Park, finished seventh in a stakes there and then came back with a win by a neck in an allowance on the Preakness undercard. Summers said the Charlatan filly is pointed to a Saratoga stakes on July 3.