Kentucky Derby Roundup: Incredibolt romps in Virginia Derby

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 47 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Incredibolt rebounds in Virginia Derby

Incredibolt, the stretch-running winner of the Street Sense (G3) last fall, bounced back to his best form in Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.

Incredibolt kicked off 2026 with an unexpected last-place finish in the Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Undeterred, trainer Riley Mott pointed the son of Bolt d’Oro to the Virginia Derby, and Incredibolt responded with his best performance to date.

Showing improved tactical speed, Incredibolt stayed within two lengths of :23.49, :47.15, and 1:11.33 pace fractions before advancing in the final three furlongs to dominate by four lengths in 1:47.76. Grittiness rallied to finish second by a neck over Confessional, while Buetane and Lockstocknpharoah rounded out the top five.

The Virginia Derby awarded Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis to the top five finishers. Having previously earned 10 points in the Street Sense, Incredibolt has accumulated 60 points in total, ranking second on the latest leaderboard. Grittiness, with 36 points to his name, ranks 10th.

Jeff Ruby Steaks awards 100 points to the winner

The first of seven Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers worth 100-50-25-15-10 points to the top five finishers is Saturday’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park.

The 1 1/8-mile race has drawn a competitive 12-horse field. Among the entrants are four horses exiting Turfway’s John Battaglia Memorial S. on the Kentucky Derby trail: Fulleffort (second), Maximum Prime (third), Baytown Dreamer (fourth), and Two Out Hero (ninth).

Stark Contrast, Turf Star, and Argos ran second, sixth, and eighth in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) and are among the accomplished turf horses switching to Tapeta for the Jeff Ruby. Argos won the Summer (G1) at Woodbine last year and seeks to rebound from a disappointing fifth-place finish in the Colonel Liam S. to start 2026.

The remaining entrants are Black Gold S. winner Black Hornet, Lecomte (G3) seventh-place finisher Stop the Car, Pasadena S. runner-up Medici, and last-out maiden winners Chaos Agent and Brave Force.

Chip Honcho, Golden Tempo meet again in Louisiana Derby

Chip Honcho and Golden Tempo, who have competed with success in Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers at Fair Grounds this winter, will meet for the third time in Saturday’s Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds.

Chip Honcho won the Gun Runner S. before finishing fourth against Golden Tempo in the Lecomte. However, the tables were turned in the Risen Star, where Chip Honcho ran second, and Golden Tempo checked in third.

Seven other horses will seek to steal the Louisiana Derby spotlight. Sunland Park Derby winner Pavlovian, Champagne (G1) third-place finisher Universe, and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) runner-up Blacksmith have all made their mark on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Emerging Market, Easterly, and Autobahn have posted flashy maiden wins. And Spirit of Royal seeks to improve on a ninth-place finish in the Southwest (G3).

The top five finishers at the end of the Louisiana Derby’s 1 3/16-mile distance will earn Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis.

Paladin, Chief Wallabee close at 8-1 in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5

Remsen (G2) winner Paladin and Fountain of Youth (G2) runner-up Chief Wallabee offered the shortest prices when Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 5 closed on Sunday. Each settled at 8-1 odds, with Paladin the slight favorite.

Check out the full list of betting interests and final odds on TwinSpires Edge.

Ezum breaks maiden by 19 1/2 lengths

Ezum caught eyes when he trounced a one-mile maiden special weight at Colonial Downs by 19 1/2 lengths.

A second-time starter trained by Brad Cox, the son of Essential Quality, improved dramatically off a non-threatening debut at Gulfstream Park and reached the Colonial finish line in 1:34.23. Conceivably, he could target a Kentucky Derby qualifier before the Road to the Kentucky Derby reaches its conclusion next month.

Learn more about Ezum and other eye-catching maiden winners in this week’s Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Incredibolt returns in Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

With the Virginia Derby serving as last week’s lone Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, there was only one significant change to the Kentucky Derby Power Rankings on KentuckyDerby.com.

Unsurprisingly, that change was the addition of Incredibolt, who rejoins the rankings in 15th place following his decisive win in the Virginia Derby. He previously ranked as high as seventh, but fell off the list following his poor showing in the Holy Bull.

Incredibolt knocked out Saudi Derby (G3) winner Al Haram, who ranked 20th last week.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Paladin (60 points)
2. Incredibolt (60 points)
3. The Puma (56 points)
4. Silent Tactic (50 points)
5. Class President (50 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Six Speed (20 points)
2. Puerto Rico (10 points)
3. Lino Padrino (10 points)
4. Wonder Dean (6 points)
5. Keiai Agito (3 points)

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Lucky Kid (30 points)
2. Pyromancer (20 points)
3. Itterasshai (9 points)
4. Best Green (6 points)
5. Arcadia Cafe (3 points)