Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Napoleon Solo

Napoleon Solo joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a tremendous performance in the Champagne (G1), leading all the way to dominate by 6 1/2 lengths.

Speed is clearly a strong suit for Napoleon Solo. In the Champagne, he set blazing fractions of :22.53, :44.24, and 1:07.88 on his way to a final time of 1:34.57 for one mile. But does he have the necessary stamina to last 1 1/4 miles in the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1)?

Napoleon Solo’s pedigree gives off mixed signals as far as distance preferences are concerned. He’s a son of Liam’s Map, a brilliant winner of the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and 1 1/8-mile Woodward (G1). It’s easy to assume Liam’s Map was a miler type, but since he never tried racing 1 1/4 miles, we don’t know for certain where his distance limitations might have topped out.

Liam’s Map has proven versatile as a stallion. He’s sired grass route runners like two-time Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) winner Colonel Liam and multiple Grade 1 winner Deterministic. He’s sired dirt milers like Alcibiades (G1) heroine Juju’s Map and Frizette (G1) conqueror Wicked Whisper. His son Burnham Square handled 1 1/8 miles on dirt to win the Blue Grass (G1), and another son—Basin—proved effective as a dirt sprinter when taking the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1).

On the whole, however, the most long-winded of Liam’s Map’s progeny have excelled on turf. His dirt runners have tended to prefer racing 1 1/8 miles or less. A great example is Burnham Square. He weakened down the homestretch of the 2025 Kentucky Derby, finishing sixth by 10 1/2 lengths. He showed more staying power when trying turf later on, finishing second by a head in the 1 5/16-mile Nashville Derby (G3).

All told, the progeny of Liam’s Map have compiled an average winning distance of 7.0 furlongs, indicating a stallion who sires plenty of milers. And there’s a similar tendency in the bottom half of Napoleon Solo’s pedigree.

Napoleon Solo is the first starter produced by Atomic Blonde, a three-time turf winner over distances from about 7 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. Her biggest win came in the South Beach S. at Gulfstream Park.

Atomic Blonde is a daughter of Scat Daddy, winner of the Champagne and later the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby (G1) before finishing 18th in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. He’s best known as the sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, which—at first glance—bodes well for Napoleon Solo’s chances of handling classic distances.

But Justify was something of an outlier among Scat Daddy’s runners. Scat Daddy sired a bevy of top-level winners over a wide variety of distances and surfaces, but many were best as sprinters and milers, and when they stayed longer distances, they often did so on turf. His progeny wound up with an average winning distance of 7.2 furlongs—respectable, but not a number marking Scat Daddy as a regular source of classic stamina.

Scat Daddy’s record as a broodmare sire is similar. His daughters have foaled some capable long-distance grass runners, such as 1 3/8-mile Red Smith (G2) winner Integration and Curren Bouquetd'or, who placed in four Group 1 races over distances from 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles) to 3,200 meters (about two miles).

However, when Scat Daddy’s daughters produce dirt horses, they’re often sprinters and milers. The best of them, Whitmore, finished 19th in the 2016 Kentucky Derby before developing into a champion sprinter. Others include 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Pappacap, 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) runner-up Jody’s Pride, 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria (G2) winner Richi, seven-furlong Vosburgh (G3) conqueror Mufasa, and—notably—the above-mentioned Burnham Square.

Taking all of these pedigree elements together, Napoleon Solo is bred to excel as a miler. He could even have the stamina to stay 1 1/8 miles. But if he’s going to last 1 1/4 miles, he may need to switch to turf, the same as his close relative Burnham Square. Racing 1 1/4 miles on dirt may stretch the stamina limits of the Liam’s Map/Scat Daddy cross.