The Road to the Kentucky Derby stops in Virginia March 14 as Colonial Downs hosts the $500,000 Virginia Derby. The race will serve as a chance at redemption for several of the top runners, and a final chance to announce arrival on the trail for others. Regardless of which storyline is successful, the top five finishers will receive qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale.
One of the horses most in need of redemption is Incredibolt.
Owned by Pin Oak Stud and trained by Riley Mott, the Bolt d'Oro colt became one of the early leaders on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail last fall when an impressive turn of foot carried him to victory in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. Given some time off to close the year before returning in Florida, he laid a dud in the Jan. 31 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and was beaten 25 1/4 lengths while never showing much interest.
Immediately after the race, jockey Jaime Torres told BloodHorse he didn't feel Incredibolt was getting a good hold of the Gulfstream Park surface, something Mott reiterated ahead of the Virginia Derby.
"I think it was mostly just a matter of him disliking the track surface," Mott told Colonial Downs publicity. "Whether that had to do with it being deeper on the inside, I'm not sure, but he certainly didn't get a hold of it at any point."
The colt's return to the work tab just two weeks later, having not missed a week since, should be an indication that he showed no signs of physical distress after the race, and a deliberate change in venue could prove a difference maker Saturday as he's listed on the morning line at big 10-1 odds—the sixth choice in a field of 10.
"I'm optimistic (Incredibolt) will like Colonial's surface," Mott said. "It's a tighter surface, so he should be able to get more traction over it (than Gulfstream). The timing of it was right, and we've done okay shipping to Colonial. I think this spot might just fit the horse."
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will hope the spot fits Zedan Racing Stables' Buetane as he tries to get over the stakes hump. The son of Tiz the Law was runner-up as the favorite in both last year's Hopeful Stakes (G1) and the Jan. 10 San Vicente Stakes (G2). In his two-turn debut, the 1 1/16-mile Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park, he stalked the pace but was outkicked in the lane, finishing third and beaten 3 1/4 lengths.
Video: Southwest S. (G3)
Although lengthening in distance to 1 1/8 miles, the Virginia Derby gives Buetane an opportunity to return to a single turn. It's likely he'll be forward early as he's drawn the rail with Flavien Prat aboard. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.
Steve Landers Racing is also seeking redemption with the Brad Cox-trained Confessional. Carrying high hopes after a debut win and runner-up finish in allowance company to future Holy Bull winner Nearly, the gray or roan colt was among the top choices in his first two-turn start: the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. However, his rail draw kept him stuck inside of horses throughout, and tight quarters at the top of the stretch stifled his run as he retreated to seventh.
Now drawn in post 8 with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, the added distance should help the son of 2021 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner and dual champion Essential Quality .
However, the question marks surrounding those stakes-tested runners makes the race appear wide open, and four runners are ready for the challenge as they make their stakes debut.
"I think this looks like it's kind of wide open. I think you could make a case for every horse in the race," trainer Thomas Drury Jr. told BloodHorse. "For half a million (dollars), we know there's going to be nice horses in there. We like our horse, and we're going to go take our best shot with our horse. That's all you can do in these situations."
That horse making Drury confident is the lone Virginia Derby entrant to have not tasted defeat: Lockstocknpharoah. The Let It Ride Equine Holdings-owned son of American Pharoah brings versatility into the race, having won his 6-furlong debut in December from off the pace after breaking a step slow and a 1-mile allowance optional claiming race Feb. 7 by 8 1/4 lengths while setting the pace.
Both those starts came over the Tapeta at Turfway Park, which will host the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the Derby trail March 21. Given the lack of stakes credentials and earnings that could make it difficult to qualify for the Jeff Ruby—which typically overfills and places several entrants on the also-eligible list—Drury looked for other options to test the gelding and see where he stands in the sophomore class.
"He trained well enough on the dirt last summer at Churchill, so I don't expect that to be an issue," Drury said. "I worked him last Saturday and let him break off of another horse and (jockey) Edgar (Morales) said he could've sat there all day long if he wanted to. We've got a horse who is a little tactical and doesn't necessarily have to have a certain trip. If Edgar decides he wants to be forward he can, if he wants to tap on the breaks and follow somebody around there, he can do that as well."
Lockstocknpharoah is 5-1 on the morning line breaking from post 6.
Colonial Downs, Saturday, March 14, 2026, Race 9Entries: Virginia Derby Presented by New Kent County
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Buetane (KY) Flavien Prat 123 Bob Baffert 5/2 2 2Grittiness (KY) Rajiv Maragh 123 Todd A. Pletcher 12/1 3 3Epic Desire (KY) Sheldon Russell 123 Todd A. Pletcher 15/1 4 4Work (NY) Mychel J. Sanchez 123 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1 5 5High Camp (KY) John R. Velazquez 123 William Walden 9/2 6 6Lockstocknpharoah (KY) Edgar Morales 123 Thomas Drury, Jr. 5/1 7 7Incredibolt (KY) Jaime A. Torres 123 Riley Mott 10/1 8 8Confessional (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 123 Brad H. Cox 4/1 9 9Ocelli (KY) Joseph D. Ramos 123 D. Whitworth Beckman 15/1 10 10Clocker Special (KY) Cristian A. Torres 123 Rodolphe Brisset 8/1
