Further Ado, Napoleon Solo meet in Haskell
Beaten Derby favorite and Preakness winner square off
The Biz
July 15, 2026
Further Ado, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby, will try to reassert himself among the division leaders when he faces Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and runner-up Iron Honor in Saturday’s $1 million Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
A field of seven is entered for the nine-furlong Haskell, a Breeders’ Cup Classic “Win and You’re In” qualifier.
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Trained by Brad Cox, Further Ado was installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite after a convincing victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes, the same prep Cox used with 2022 Haskell winner Cyberknife.
“We’re kind of taking the same path we did with Cyberknife,” Cox said, adding, “The numbers he received out of it basically say he’s the fastest two-turn 3-year-old colt in the country.”
Further Ado won the Grade 1 Blue Grass before enduring a troubled trip and finishing 11th as the Kentucky Derby favorite. The son of Gun Runner owns a 4-1-1 record from eight starts and will break from post 2 with Irad Ortiz Jr.
Napoleon Solo, the 5-2 second choice, enters off his Grade 1 Preakness victory, where he defeated Iron Honor by 1¼ lengths. Trained by Chad Summers, the son of Liam’s Map has won Grade 1 races at both 2 and 3 and will make his first start since being sold to ESPOIR USA.
“He’s a naturally brilliant fast horse,” Summers said, whether at six furlongs or the 1 3/16 miles of the Preakness.
That said, Summers realizes the waters only get deeper.
“He’s going to have to get better,” Summers said. “We’re going to have to step up our game.”
Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown, is the 3-1 third choice. The son of Nyquist rallied after a wide trip in the Preakness, his first start without blinkers.
“I thought it was a really good effort,” Brown said. “He made more than one move in the race and kept coming forward.”
The field also includes Grade 1-placed The Puma (7-2), Pegasus Stakes winner Baby Vino (15-1), stakes performer Ocelli (6-1), and Long Branch runner-up Star Sweeper (30-1). NBC will televise the Haskell from 5-6 p.m., with post time scheduled for 5:47 p.m.
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