Incredibolt Seeks Rebound in $500,000 Virginia Derby

Incredibolt, shown winning the G3 Street Sense at Churchill Downs in 2025, makes his next start in the $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on March 14 (Credit: Coady Media)

Riley Mott (credit: Coady Media)

NEW KENT, VA. (March 10, 2026) — Pin Oak Stud’s G3 Street Sense Stakes winner Incredibolt will try to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the G3 Holy Bull Stakes when he returns to the Road to the Kentucky Derby in Saturday’s $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. Trained by Riley Mott, Incredibolt will face nine rivals racing for a share of the 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded to the top five finishers.

Slated as Race 9, the 1 1/8-mile race serves as the centerpiece of a 10-race Virginia Derby Day program that also includes the $250,000 Virginia Oaks, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race, two divisions of the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Sandy Bottom Stakes and the $100,000 Royal New Kent Stakes. First post on Saturday is Noon ET.

As the 7-2 third choice in the Holy Bull on Jan. 31 at Gulfstream Park, Incredibolt finished 25 lengths behind the winner, Nearly. On the rail and near the back of the pack throughout, the Bolt d’Oro colt never seemed to pick up his feet.

“We’re going to try to redeem ourselves on Saturday,” Mott said. “We’ll sure need to after that race at Gulfstream (Holy Bull). I think it was mostly just a matter of him disliking the track surface. 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.”

Though the Gulfstream surface was not to his liking, Incredibolt’s two wins from four lifetime starts both came at Churchill Downs, including a last-to-first victory in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes, an early Derby prep that earned him 10 points toward a return to Churchill on the first Saturday in May.

“I couldn’t have asked for a horse to come out of his last race any better,” Mott said. “He’s put forth four really strong works since the race. He’s acting very sharp. He looks well. The way he’s worked over the Palm Meadows (Training Center) surface and galloped out and double galloped out in all his works, I think he’s coming into the race excellent.”

Incredibolt drew post No. 7 and was tabbed at 10-1 on the morning line. Having piloted him in all four starts, Jaime Torres will be back aboard in the Virginia Derby.

“I’m optimistic (Incredibolt) will like Colonial’s surface,” Mott said. “It’s a tighter surface, so he should be able to get more traction over it (than Gulfstream). The timing of it was right, and we’ve done OK shipping to Colonial. I think this spot might just fit the horse.”

Incredibolt’s connections — Pin Oak Stud, Mott and Torres — were victorious with World Beater in September’s G3 Old Dominion Derby, one of three winners from nine starters for Mott during Colonial Downs’ 2025 meet.