Preakness watch: Incredibolt adds spark to full field of 14

This is the 23rd installment of a weekly feature on Horse Racing Nation that tracks Triple Crown horses all the way through the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. 

Hello, Incredibolt. A late addition to the $2 million Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, the two-time stakes winner drew the 12-post position and was installed as the 5-1 co-second choice in a full field of 14. 

In a seemingly wide-open edition of the Triple Crown’s middle jewel, the field was watered down because the connections of most of the top runners from the Kentucky Derby were unwilling to come back in two weeks and run their horses in Maryland. Iron Honor, who comes into the race off a disappointing finish in the Wood Memorial (G2), was pegged as the lukewarm 9-2 morning-line favorite. 

A late-running sixth in the Kentucky Derby, Incredibolt came back healthy from his solid effort at Churchill Downs and trainer Riley Mott decided it was a good opportunity for his colt to enter the fray. 

There is a touch of irony with the decision as it was Riley’s father, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who shunned the Preakness last spring with his highly regarded Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty. 

Not only will Incredibolt ship to Maryland as the co-second choice on the morning line, but the son of Bolt d’Oro also will be the only horse in the Preakness field to have won a graded-stakes race around two turns. 

In the Kentucky Derby, Incredibolt was sent off as the 10th choice at odds of 23-1. Bumped out of the gate, he quickly moved to the inside and found a good position at the back of the large leading pack. He stayed that way until the far turn, when he attempted to find room for the stretch drive, but he was beaten to the punch by eventual third-place finisher Ocelli. 

Once able to steer his way outside, he was collared and bumped back in by the rallying Renegade. Under regular rider Jaime Torres, Incredibolt regained his stride and finished well to get up for sixth, beaten only four lengths. 

Overall, it was a good effort that points him out as a serious contender in this lighter Preakness field. He came into the run for the roses off a seven-week gap. In his two starts before the Kentucky Derby, he finished a dismal sixth in the Holy Bull (G3) before rebounding with a romping win in the listed Virginia Derby around one turn at Colonial Downs. 

A fresh horse for the Derby, it will be a different scenario at Laurel, where he will join Ocelli and the 14th-place finisher Robusta as the only horses coming in off short rest. 

Incredibolt, a $75,000 yearling purchase, began his career by rallying for fourth in an Ellis Park maiden race. In a large field, the dark bay showed plenty of promise in the late-August debut and was ready to get to the winner’s circle in his next run. 

Stretched to a mile for his second career start, Incredibolt rolled to a two-length score under the twin spires of Churchill Downs. The maiden victory on Sept. 28 set him up perfectly for his stakes debut in the Street Sense (G3) four weeks later. 

In his first try in a stakes race and at two turns, Incredibolt came from the back of the pack to win in impressive fashion. Owned by Pin Oak Stud, he turned in the type of performance in which Kentucky Derby dreams are made. Mott gave his charge a brief freshening while wintering in South Florida with the first Saturday in May in mind. 

Overall, Incredibolt will come into the second leg of the Triple Crown with three wins from six lifetime starts. If you can forgive the dud in his sophomore debut, he has been a colt who consistently finishes well and is no stranger to good sized fields. 

Out of the Awesome Again mare Sapphire Spitfire, he has both speed and stamina in his pedigree. His Kentucky Derby performance might have lacked sizzle, but it was good enough to make him a viable contender in Saturday’s Preakness. 

Incredibolt might be especially dangerous here when you consider that the majority of this field are horses who have run on or near the lead in their past performances. With a strong early pace expected in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, it could favor late-runners, just as it did in Golden Tempo’s Kentucky Derby. 

Having seen that his horse bounced back well from his run at Churchill Downs, and noticing the lack of top 3-year-olds and horses who come from behind in the field, Riley Mott pulled the trigger and decided to send his horse to the Preakness. 

We will find out Saturday how the late decision works out, but I commend the young trainer for taking the shot. Incredibolt is a welcome addition to the field. He adds spark to this questionable group and has a big shot to make the gamble pay off.