Incredibolt may have been a late insert into the lineup of runners for the 2026 Preakness Stakes, but this talented three-year-old colt finds himself among the early favorites to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. Much like that charge of electricity that flashes across the sky, things in Thoroughbred racing can change within the blink of an eye. After some movement among those being considered for the race, trainer Riley Mott decided it was the right time to give his Kentucky-bred son of Bolt d’Oro a chance to run for grade 1 glory.
Strong Run In Kentucky Derby Was A Factor In Preakness Entry
The Preakness is contested just two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and that quick turnaround is more than some horses can handle. With Derby winner Golden Tempo and second place finisher Renegade both electing to bypass the mile and three sixteenths Preakness, Incredibolt’s bright young conditioner began to think hard about his colt’s ability to roll readily into the Triple Crown’s second leg. Solid signs were there that his horse was doing well after a very respectable sixth place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
“I think he ran well in the Derby and we were pleased with his effort”, says Riley Mott, who will be sending his first starter into the Preakness gates. “Originally the Preakness was not on our radar, but his Derby run was solid and he came out of the race in great shape. In this sport you have to give yourself flexibility because things can change so quickly. Once we saw some of the other horses were not going to run we decided he deserved an opportunity to run at history.”
Incredibolt Has Been Strong In Stakes Company
After obtaining his first career win in his second start, Incredibolt lit up the competition in the grade 3 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs to close his two-year-old campaign. Viewed as one of the top early contenders on the Kentucky Derby trail, he went to Gulfstream Park and turned in a less than stellar effort in finishing sixth in the Holy Bull Stakes to open his three-year-old season on January 31, 2026. Biding his time until March 14, Incredibolt turned in an electrifying run in winning the Virginia Derby by a widening 4 lengths.
“He has always been a really good work horse that we felt like has a tremendous upside”, says Mott, who grew up in the sport as the son of hall of fame trainer Bill Mott. “The Virginia Derby was a strong run that we think is just a flash of bigger things to come.”
Running Style Makes Incredibolt Dangerous In The Preakness
Now that Incredibolt is in the Preakness mix, this Pin Oak Stud LLC owned colt has been getting some hard looks as a top contender. Breaking from post 12 in a 14-horse field, he is listed as the second choice at odds of 5 to 1. In both his scintillating Stakes wins, a pace stalking style saw a big run down the lane with a strong kick to the wire. On paper, it looks as if there will be a quick early pace which could set things up wonderfully for Incredibolt to strike late in the race.
“We like our outside post that way we can see where all the inside speed is early in the race”, says Mott. “We just hope to get in a good spot where he can be comfortable and save some ground. He is a horse that has some big acceleration so we hope to keep him settled and then about the 3/8 pole make a run.”
Incredibolt was purchased by Pin Oak Stud LLC as a yearling for $75,000. In six career starts he has three wins with on-track earnings of $498,681. The Preakness will be run on May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland for the first time ever and is carded as race 13 with an expected post time of 7:01pm eastern.
