On a Belmont Morning, Napoleon Solo Covers Six Furlongs in 1:11

Napoleon Solo, the Liam's Map runner who carries the Espoir USA silks, was timed in 1:11 for six furlongs on the main course at Belmont Park on Friday morning. The clocking is the kind usually seen in an afternoon rather than during morning training, and it followed another quick move the horse had put in before this one. Together the two drills make a plain statement about the condition the horse is in heading into the fall. His connections are said to be weighing the Classic as the target, and a pair of works at this tempo would be the sort of evidence that steers such a decision. For anyone who spends early hours at the Elmont rail, this is the stretch of the calendar when the clockers' sheets begin to tell the autumn story, and Friday's figure will have been noted. New York's training grounds have long served as the proving ground for the division's ambitions, and this morning offered one more reason to keep watching the track at first light.

With reporting from Thoroughbred Daily News.