Incredibolt rebounds in Virginia Derby; Bottle of Rouge rolls in Virginia Oaks

Mar 14, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Incredibolt wins the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.

Incredibolt wins the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Pin Oak Stud’s Incredibolt flashed home to reignite his Kentucky Derby (G1) hopes in Saturday’s $506,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.

Trained by Riley Mott, son of Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Incredibolt added 50 points toward the Kentucky Derby. His total of 60 points now puts him in second place on the leaderboard, behind only Paladin, who maintains the top spot because he has more non-restricted stakes earnings.

In the companion $250,000 Virginia Oaks on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Bottle of Rouge flaunted her class as the odds-on favorite. The California shipper is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and owned by his wife, Jill.

Virginia Derby

Incredibolt initially burst onto the Derby scene in last fall’s Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs. His last-to-first rally sparked memories of champion Sovereignty, who won the 2024 Street Sense before developing into the 2025 Kentucky Derby-winning Horse of the Year. Sovereignty is trained by Bill Mott, adding to the storyline about Riley Mott’s embarking upon the Derby trail with Incredibolt.

Unfortunately, Incredibolt didn’t further the parallel in his seasonal reappearance at Gulfstream Park, where he spun his wheels in a too-bad-to-be-true sixth behind Nearly in the Holy Bull (G3). The son of Bolt d’Oro rebounded with a vengeance in the Virginia Derby.

Incredibolt signaled that he was back at the top of his game when securing excellent early position. With regular rider Jaime Torres aboard, the 6.20-1 chance drafted right behind the early leaders and had the gears to maneuver in the stretch. Baffert’s 3-2 favorite Buetane, on the other hand, didn’t have as much luck trying to find a path.

A contested pace unfolded as Lockstocknpharoah led the way, pressed by Work on his inside and Clocker Special on the outside. Lockstocknpharoah managed to fend them off after carving out fractions of :23.49, :47.15, and 1:11.33, but he could not hold onto his advantage beyond midstretch.

By that point, Incredibolt had darted into a seam on the inside, and he zoomed clear in a few strides. Opening up by four lengths at the wire, the dark bay covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.76.

Grittiness closed well on the outside to snatch second, adding 25 Derby points to bring up his total to 36. Although the Todd Pletcher trainee has yet to win, Grittiness has been holding his own in the preps with a fifth in the Remsen (G2) and a second last time out in the Withers S.

Confessional was just another neck away in third (15 points). Buetane finished with interest for fourth (10 points for a total of 16), edging Lockstocknpharoah (five points).

Ocelli, like Grittiness still a maiden, loomed briefly in the stretch before fading to sixth. Next came Clocker Special, Work, Epic Desire, and High Camp.

Incredibolt rewarded his loyalists with $14.40 while boosting his bankroll to $498,681 from his 5-3-0-0 line. Note that he’s 2-for-2 at Churchill, the historic home of the Kentucky Derby.

Bred by Deann Baer and Greg Baer, DVM, in Kentucky, Incredibolt is a half-brother to the Grade 2-placed Fire on Time. They are both out of the Awesome Again mare Sapphire Spitfire.

Virginia Oaks

Bottle of Rouge wins the Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs.

Bottle of Rouge wins the Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)

Earlier, Bottle of Rouge easily downed Dazzling Dame by 4 1/4 lengths in the Virginia Oaks. The 4-5 favorite coming off a victory in the Feb. 15 Sunland Park Oaks, the gray enjoyed a perfect stalk-and-pounce trip with Flavien Prat.

Dazzling Dame, who was last seen romping in the Jan. 3 Busanda S. at Aqueduct, hustled from her rail post to grab the lead from the fast-starting Kadabra. Bottle of Rouge broke well enough to be in the early mix, but Prat wisely eased back into third rather than be caught in a pace battle between foes.

Although Dazzling Dame posted strong fractions of :22.61, :45.64, and 1:09.74, she appeared to be in a comfortable rhythm. Yet the longtime leader had no answer when Bottle of Rouge made her move.

The path opened up for Bottle of Rouge turning for home, when Kadabra dropped back. Shifting out to take aim on Dazzling Dame, Bottle of Rouge surged past in a dominating display.

Bottle of Rouge clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.41 and paid $3.60. She improved her scorecard to 6-4-1-1, $577,000, including a victory in last summer’s Del Mar Debutante (G1).

Dazzling Dame was a clear second by four lengths. Baffle checked in third, followed by Hit Parade and Kadabra. Somemunny to Love was scratched.

Because there were only five starters, the points for the Virginia Oaks were reduced to 75% of the original allotment.

Thus Bottle of Rouge earned 37.5 points (not 50) toward the Kentucky Oaks, upping her total to 57.5 and placing her third on the leaderboard. Dazzling Dame’s runner-up effort was worth 18.75 points (for a total of 40.75). Baffle opened her account with 11.25 points, Hit Parade received 7.5 points (for a total of 19.5), and Kadabra took home 3.75 points (for a total of 9.75).

Bottle of Rouge was bred by Kathie Maybee in Kentucky. The well-named filly is by champion Vino Rosso and out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Blues Corner.

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