ByDanny Brewer,
Contributor.
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.
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.”
