Napoleon Solo got a taste of the bubbly Oct. 4 at Belmont at the Big A, running eight fellow 2-year-olds off their feet to post an impressive front-running, 6 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 $500,000 Champagne Stakes for trainer Chad Summers and owner Al Gold.

"I was cheering so loudly for Napoleon Solo that everyone around me clapped for me after the race," Gold said after watching the race remotely from Keeneland. "So, I had to buy them champagne."

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The Champagne Stakes was a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" prep race for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by TAA on Oct. 31 at Del Mar.

"That was awesome. It was a great performance," said Gold, who named Napoleon Solo after television spy character from the old "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." television series.

Napolean Solo covered the one-turn mile in a fast time of 1:34.57 in just his second lifetime start. While the Breeders' Cup Juvenile would be a seemingly natural progression for the horse's next start, Summers was hesitant to commit to a trip west for the World Championships.

"I'm concerned with how fast they went today, I've got to be honest with you," Summers said. "Obviously it's dynamic and you have a chance to compete for the 2-year-old championship and a stallion deal. You have to take that into consideration, but we have to consider the horse as well. It's a third straight year of going to California. Getting on the plane. I wouldn't say that it is set in stone that we are going to the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how everything progresses and more importantly how he comes out of the race. He'll tell us and we'll go from there."

Summers said it wasn't the plan for Napoleon Solo to grab the early lead but that's how it worked out. Jockey Joel Rosario had him in front by a length in :22.53 and :44.24 through a half mile with 2-5 favorite It's Our Time chasing in second. On the turn, Napoleon Solo extended the lead to 2 1/2 lengths after a blistering 6 furlongs in 1:07.88 as It's Our Time faded to fourth.

"You see the :44 and you get a little nervous. Your heart starts racing a bit," Summers said.

With no one mounting a serious rally from the back, Napoleon Solo ($15.94) extended to a five-length lead in mid-stretch and cruised home from there as the second choice on the tote board.

Talkin rallied from seventh to take second by three-quarters of a length over Universe in third. Favored It's Our Time, who won his career debut by 17 3/4 lengths, was 8 1/4 lengths behind in fourth.

Trainer Danny Gargan indicated he's likely to point Talkin to the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in December.

In addition to being a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, the Champagne was also part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The race awarded qualifying points toward the 2026 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers.

Ground Support Bound for Breeders' Cup Off Win in Miss Grillo

Ground Support. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)

After posting a 100-1 upset in her debut, winning at 12-1 odds was a rather subdued accomplishment for Ground Support, who won Saturday's Grade 2 $200,000 Miss Grillo Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Belmont at the Big A to earn a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" free spot in the John Deere Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

"I told (jockey Adam Beschizza) yesterday when he was breezing horses for me at Churchill, 'Don't forget, I really want to go to Del Mar,'" trainer Kelsey Danner said. "It will be fun and I think she should handle everything well."

Ground Support ($26.86 to win) posted a two-length victory over runner-up Deep Learning. She covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.32 on a firm turf course.

Iron Orchard Noses Out Rileytole to Win Frizette

Iron Orchard rallied under jockey Joel Rosario to capture the Grade 1 $400,000 Frizette Stakes by a nose over Rileytole on Oct. 4 at Belmont at the Big A.

Iron Orchard has a perfect record, a Grade 1 win, and a newfound ability to rally from off the pace, but will it be enough to propel her into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies? That's the question that trainer Danny Gargan and the ownership group will ponder over the next four weeks.

Iron Orchard (blue cap) wins the Frizette. (Eclipse Sportswire)

"Right now, we'll just be happy and enjoy this," Gargan said. "She's done a lot this year. I told the guys before, we'll see how it goes. There's next year. She's a young filly. I think with the way she ran today, maybe in the future she might be able to go two turns, but I'm just happy with how it went today. I feel blessed."

The Frizette is a Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen stakes, which means the owners get a $30,000 credit toward starting fees for the Oct. 31 NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, yet Gargan did not seem upset with the idea of missing the World Championships at Del Mar.

"It's not hard for me to skip the Breeders' Cup," he said. "I don't know about the owners."

Iron Orchard came into the Frizette off a pair of easy state-bred sprint wins by a combined 12 1/4 lengths while leading at each call in those two races including the Seeking the Ante Stakes.

Iron Orchard ($6.90) and Rileytole chased a fast pace and forged to the front near the sixteenth pole and battled to the wire with Iron Orchard prevailing in 1:35.97.

The Frizette was also part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series and awarded qualifying points for the 2026 Longines Kentucky Oaks on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.