Incredibolt dominant in Virginia Derby win
Atones for recent poor outing, earns Kentucky Derby berth
Frank Vespe
March 14, 2026
Incredibolt’s trip to Gulfstream Park was a train wreck. But he liked Colonial Downs just fine.
Three-year-old Incredibolt bounced back from a disastrous outing in the Grade 3 Holy Bull to post a dominant win in Saturday’s $500,000 Virginia Derby. The 50 Kentucky Derby points he earns for the win will give him a total of 60, tying him for the overall points lead and ensuring a spot in the starting gate in Louisville if healthy.
“We’re optimistic and hopeful we can make it to the first Saturday in May,” said Riley Mott, who trains the winner for Pin Oak Stud LLC.
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“I have no words [to describe securing a Kentucky Derby mount],” said winning rider Jaime Torres, who has been aboard for all five of Incredibolt’s starts. “No words. It’s a dream come true.”
Incredibolt, by Bolt d’Oro, graduated in September at second asking at Churchill Downs and followed that up with a sharp score in the same track’s Grade 3 Street Sense. That earned him his first 10 Derby points.
Given time off after that, he returned with a disastrous outing in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull. Sent off at 7-2, Incredibolt raced inside – on an outside-favoring day – and simply went backwards, finishing the race in last and 25 lengths behind.
Ahead of the Virginia Derby, Mott said the Gulfstream racing strip and his horse did not seem to get along.
“I think it was mostly just a matter of him disliking the track surface,” the trainer said. “Whether that had to do with it being deeper on the inside, I’m not sure, but he certainly didn’t get a hold of it at any point.”
In the Virginia Derby, Incredibolt was away smoothly and settled inside a length or two behind the early leaders. Lockstocknpharoah took the early initiative while pressed by longshot Work through a half-mile in a moderate 47.15 seconds and three quarters in 1:11.33.
Nearing the head of the lane, Incredibolt was between horses and just behind the leader, and then Torres steered him down to the rail. From there he took off. A half-length behind with a furlong to go, Incredibolt ran away to a four-length victory, zipping the final furlong in a sharp 12.02 seconds.
“I felt like I had a lot of horse by the half-mile, the three-eighths,” Torres said. “I felt like they were slowing down in front, and I was just waiting for the spot.”
“He was pretty much surrounded by horses the whole way around,” Mott added. “He took Jaime right up into the hole, you know, on the rail, turning for home, and he blasted off and was pulling away from him at the end.”
Grittiness (36-1), last early, ralled into second, a neck ahead of show horse Confessional. Buetane, the Bob Baffert-trained 3-2 favorite, finished fourth.
Incredibolt paid a generous $14.40 to win in a race in which he was the only stakes winner. The one-dollar exacta returned $152.30.
Incredibolt now has three wins from five starts. The winner’s share will push his earnings to just shy of $500,000.
Grittiness, trained by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable, finished a distant second for the second consecutive race; he previously was second, beaten 11 lengths, in the Withers. He remains a maiden after six starts but now has 36 points and a legitimate shot to earn a Derby berth before he earns a win.
“Based on that performance, you’d think he can keep improving and appreciate more distance,” said Rajiv Maragh, who rode Grittiness. “He settled beautifully, got into a nice rhythm and finished well.”
But all eyes were on the winner. Mott, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, will hope to follow in his dad’s footsteps; Bill Mott trained Sovereignty to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont last year.
Both Mott and Torres indicated they thought that added ground would pose no problem for Incredibolt. Added ground, like, say, 1 ¼ miles.
The win and Derby berth must also be buoying spirits at Pin Oak Stud. Jim Bernhard, the owner and founder, passed away in November, leaving its operations to his widow Dana and son Ben.
“I’m happy for our staff and happy for the Pin Oak team,” Mott said. “The Bernhard family, we’re missing a very important member in Mr. Jim Bernhard here today, but I know he’s looking down on us, and he really helped that horse get through the wire.”
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rick be
14th Mar 2026I gotta get to Colonial soon