Incredibolt and Bottle of Rouge Strengthen Classic Credentials in Virginia Features
- Mar 17
- 1 min read
Incredibolt revived his Kentucky Derby prospects with a decisive victory in the $506,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on Saturday, earning a major boost on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
Racing for Pin Oak Stud and trained by Riley Mott, son of Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Incredibolt collected 50 qualifying points in the Virginia Derby, bringing his total to 60 and moving him into second place on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, trailing only Paladin in the standings.
The Virginia Derby, which was repositioned last year as a Kentucky Derby prep, awarded qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers, and its impact on the three-year-old picture is set to grow as point values increase over the next three weekends with a final set of 200-point preps.
In the Virginia Oaks, Bottle of Rouge delivered an authoritative performance, drawing clear by 4 1/4 lengths over long-time pacesetter Dazzling Dame. The 4-5 gray favorite, coming off a win in the Feb. 15 Sunland Park Oaks, enjoyed a stalk-and-pounce trip under jockey Flavien Prat, overtaking Dazzling Dame in the stretch after the early leader set a confident pace but could not respond when challenged.