Kentucky Derby Context: Incredibolt

After showing an affinity for Churchill Downs last fall, comfortably winning the Street Sense (G3) and a maiden special weight race, Incredibolt failed to break well from his innermost post and never fired when opening 2026 in the Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park, checking in last of six runners. The dark bay colt rebounded spectacularly in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, stamping his Kentucky Derby (G1) ticket with a dominant four-length win, and displayed an improved turn of foot to blow open a wide-open race in upper stretch. The performance came back fast, and while Incredibolt will step up to face steeper competition in the Kentucky Derby, the midpack stalker remains a candidate to keep progressing while returning to an oval he favors.

OWNER: Pin Oak Stud (Dana Bernhard) will have its first Kentucky Derby runners in 2026, with Incredibolt being joined by Wood Memorial (G2) upsetter Albus in the starting gate. Located in Versailles, Ky., Pin Oak Stud was sold to the Bernhards from the Abercrombie family in 2022.

TRAINER: Riley Mott will saddle his first Kentucky Derby starters, sending out Incredibolt and Albus. Former assistant and son of two-time Kentucky Derby winner Bill Mott, Riley Mott went out on his own in late 2022 and was represented by his first Grade 1 winner in 2025, World Beater, who Pin Oak Stud owns.

JOCKEY: After riding Incredibolt in his first five outings, Jaime Torres will make his Kentucky Derby debut. The Puerto Rican native earned his biggest career win in the 2024 Preakness (G1), guiding Seize the Grey for the late D. Wayne Lukas. Torres launched his riding career in 2022 and ranked as the leading apprentice on the NYRA circuit in 2023.

BREEDER: Incredibolt was bred in Kentucky by Deann and Greg Baer, who will be represented by their first Kentucky Derby starter as a breeder. Incredibolt sold for $75,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale.

SIRE: Incredibolt is from the fourth crop of Grade 1 winner Bolt d’Oro, who finished 12th in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. The leading first-crop sire in 2022, Bolt d’Oro, still looks to make an impact on Triple Crown races at stud. He’s a son of noted sire Medaglia d’Oro.

DAM: Incredibolt is the fifth foal to race out of Sapphire Spitfire, who is also the dam of Grade 3 runner-up Fire on Time. She’s out of Awesome Again, who earned more than $3.4 million winning nine of 12 career starts, counting the 1998 runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and Stephen Foster (G2) at Churchill Downs among his major tallies. He’s yet to make an impact in the Kentucky Derby as a broodmare sire but was represented by Keen Ice, who finished third in the 2015 Belmont (G1) and upset American Pharoah in the Travers (G1) later that summer. Awesome Again is also the broodmare sire of Kentucky Derby starter Potente, winner of the San Felipe (G2) and runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (G1).