NEW KENT, VA — Pin Oak Stud’s Incredibolt stamped himself as a serious Kentucky Derby contender Saturday, powering away late to win the $500,000 Virginia Derby by four lengths at Colonial Downs.
Trained by Riley Mott, the improving colt earned 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, vaulting him into a tie for the top spot on the leaderboard while adding another strong prep race to his résumé. Fans tracking the Derby trail can follow the latest contenders on the Racing Dudes’ 2026 Kentucky Derby page.
Ridden by Jaime Torres, Incredibolt covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.76.
After breaking cleanly with the rest of the field, Incredibolt settled comfortably behind early pacesetter Lockstocknpharoah, tracking fractions of :23.49 and :47.15 through the opening half-mile. The colt traveled between rivals on the backstretch before finding racing room around the far turn.
Turning for home, Incredibolt was boxed in but still traveling strongly. Torres patiently waited for a seam, and when it appeared mid-stretch, the colt exploded through the opening and quickly separated himself from the field, drawing clear to the wire.
“He’s really matured and has a lot more confidence now,” Torres said. “That showed today. I felt like I had plenty of horse around the half-mile, and I thought the horses in front were starting to slow down a little. I was just waiting for the right spot. This is a dream come true.”
Virginia Derby Results
Grittiness, who was reserved early, swung four wide approaching the three-sixteenths pole and rallied well to finish second.
Confessional made a similar four-wide move and stayed on for third.
Buetane encountered trouble when shuffled back on the turn and briefly blocked in the stretch but finished strongly once angled inside to grab fourth.
Early leader Lockstocknpharoah faded late to round out the top five.
Kentucky Derby Points Update
With the win, Incredibolt earns 50 points, bringing his total to 60 and tying Paladin atop the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
- Incredibolt — 60 points
- Grittiness — 36 points
- Confessional — 15 points
- Buetane — 16 points
- Lockstocknpharoah — 5 points
Incredibolt returned $14.40, $7.40, and $5.60.
“It was very impressive,” Mott said. “He sat right in the pocket behind a hot pace and was surrounded by horses most of the way. He took Jaime right up into a hole on the rail turning for home and then just blasted off and was pulling away at the end. In his morning workouts and races, he’s always galloped out really well. He’s bred to get distance and he’s shown us he can finish races going long, so we’re optimistic and hopeful we can make it to the first Saturday in May. I’m happy for the horse and our staff, and especially happy for the Pin Oak team and the Bernhard family. We’re missing a very important member today in Mr. Jim Bernhard, but I know he’s looking down on us.”
Proven at Churchill Downs
Incredibolt has already shown he can perform at Churchill Downs, where he broke his maiden beneath the Twin Spires before capturing the Grade 3 Street Sense Stakes as a juvenile.
The colt is by Bolt d’Oro out of Sapphire Spitfire, and his career record now stands at 5-3-0-0 with earnings of $498,681.
Additional Quotes
Rajiv Maragh, jockey of second-place finisher Grittiness:
“Based on that performance, you’d think he can keep improving and appreciate more distance. He settled beautifully, got into a nice rhythm and finished well.”
Julien Leparoux, jockey of third-place finisher Confessional:
“He had a very good trip. He sat just off the pace and was very comfortable. I was able to get him out and make a run, and he finished strongly. We just got beat today. I thought it was a very good race for him — better than his last start. He ran his race today, and I think the blinkers helped keep him focused.”
Flavien Prat, jockey of fourth-place finisher Buetane:
“He finished pretty well. From where I was, it just didn’t work out the way we wanted. But he made a good run.”
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