Incredibolt latest long shot jumping into Kentucky Derby picture
· Yahoo Sports
March 16 (UPI) -- Incredibolt bolted right to the top of the Kentucky Derby standings with a decisive score in Saturday's Virginia Derby, while the rest of weekend horse racing focused mainly on sprinters.
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The global racing scene was quiescent with the final two weekends of March packed with action.
Let's roll.
The Road to the Roses
Bottle of Rouge wins Saturday's Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs, boosting her stock for the Kentucky Oaks. Photo courtesy of Colonial DownsThe upsets just keep on coming along the Road to the Roses. This weekend's surprise was Incredibolt, a Bolt d'Oro colt trained by Riley Mott for Pin Oak Stud. Incredibolt looked like a good thing last year, winning the Grade III Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs in October.
But his 3-year-old debut was a major disappointment -- a last-place finish, beaten 25 lengths, in the Grade III Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park Jan. It was a whole different story in Saturday's $250,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.
After racing in mid-pack, comfortably off the pace, jockey Jaime Torrez shifted Incredibolt down to the rail, shot by the leaders and drew off to win by 4 lengths over Grittiness with Confessional third.
Incredibolt earned 50 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard, jumping all the way to a tie with Risen Star Stakes winner Paladin for the top spot.
Grittiness added 25 points to move up to 10th on the leaderboard with a late move that promised something might be in the tank at the 1 1/4 miles of the Run for the Roses.
"He's a lot more mature now,' Torrez said of Incredibolt. "He has more confidence in himself. I felt they were slowing down in front and I was just waiting for a spot. A mile and a quarter will be no problem for him."
The disappointment was Buetane, the Bob Baffert-trained favorite. The colt was bottled up tightly along the rail most of the way, failed to find a path through rivals in the stretch and flattened out to finish fourth. He has 16 points and ranks 26th on the leaderboard.
The remaining preps:
March 21: Grade III Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park; Grade II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds
March 28: Grade I Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park; Grade I Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Also, the Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan and the Group 2 UAE Derby at Medan Racecourse in Dubai, which will determine the winners of the "Japan Road" and "Euro/Mideast Road"
April 4: Grade I Santa Anita Derby; Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland; Grade II Wood Memorial at Aqueduct
April 11: Grade III Lexington Stakes at Keeneland
The path to the Oaks
Bottle of Rouge willingly took back from the lead in Saturday's $250,000 Virginia Oaks, rallied past pacesetter Dazzling Dame turning for home and spurted clear to win by 4 1/4 lengths. Dazzling Dame held second. Baffle came from the clouds to finish third, but remains a maiden.
Bottle of Rouge, trained by Baffert for his wife, Jill, won the Grade I Del Mar Debutante in September, defeating stablemate Explora, then was sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She won the Sunland Park Oaks in New Mexico on Feb. 15 to start her 3-year-old season.
Saturday's win earned 37.5 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Oaks" leaderboard, putting her third behind Explora and Bella Ballerina.
"It was a good run," winning rider Flavien Prat said. "She's improving race-to-race."
Sprint
Seven-year-old Tejano Twist rallied from a distant sixth to win Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Whitmore Stakes at Oaklawn Park by 2 lengths over Tough Catch. The favorite, Wendelssohn, led but faded to finish fourth.
Tejano Twist, a Practical Joke gelding, got the job done with a steady, wide run though the last of 6 furlongs, finishing in 1:08.93 with Francisco Arrieta aboard. Tejano Twist won the 2023 running of the Whitmore and then finished second in 2024 and third last year.
Igniter, the odds-on favorite, caught fire in the stretch run of Saturday's $135,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct and gradually drew clear from a stretch battle to win by 1 length from Time to Roll. The Three Chimneys Farm homebred colt by Volatile ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.36.
Fulmine took charge in the final furlong of Saturday's $125,000 Hutcheson Stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park, roaring by pacesetting Wootun and drawing clear to a 2 3/4-length win. Wootun held on for second as Fulmine ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.82.
Filly & mare sprint
Goodall stalked the pace in Saturday's $150,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Oaklawn Park, took over from the tiring early leader heading into the stretch and kicked away to a 4 1/2-length victory. The odds-on favorite, River Wind, ran evenly to finish second.
A Yaupon filly, Goodall was clocked in 1:08.78 with Erik Asmussen up for Steve Asmussen. The filly finished second and first to start her career with both runs at Fair Grounds.
Lithe Spirit stalked the pace in Saturday's $125,000 Queen Stakes on the Turfway Park all-weather course, rallied sharply through the final sixteenth and won by 1 length over pacesetter Mega Mill.
Lithe Spirit, a 5-year-old Speightstown mare, ran 6 furlongs in 1:09.82 for Rafael Hernandez.
Mythical dealt with challenger Sweet Ember midway through Saturday's $125,000 Any Limit Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park and ran on to win by 2 lengths over that rival with minimal urging by jockey Edgard Zayas. Mythical, an Arindel homebred filly by St. Patrick's Day, reported in 1:09.40.
Turf sprint
Sumter pressed the pace made by Quereme coming down the Santa Anita hillside slalom in Saturday's $100,000 Grade III San Simeon, dueled with that one through the stretch and got the benefit of a head nod at the wire. The 6-year-old War Front gelding, with Mike Smith in the irons, ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.80.
Saturday's $125,000 Captiva Island Stakes came off the Gulfstream Park turf onto the all-weather course and produced an all-longshot order of finish.
Twirling Queen, a 5-year-old Twirling Candy mare, led virtually all the way and won by 1 1/2 lengths at odds of 18-1. She was followed Me Governor and Coco Abarrio, both at double-digit odds. Twirling Queen ran 5 furlongs in 56.08 seconds.
Filly & mare turf
Take a Breath race in mid-pack in Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Santa Ana at Santa Anita, mounted a challenge around the second turn and took the lead in deep stretch. The British-bred, 4-year-old daughter of Bated Breath then held off a late rally by resolve, winning by a nose. The favorite, Mrs. Astor, finished third.
Take a Breath, with Emisael Jaramillo up for trainer Mark Glatt, finished 1 1/4 miles of firm turf in 2:02.06.
Dirt mile
Tour Player rallied four-wide to take the lead in Saturday's $100,000 Royal New Kent Stakes at Colonial Downs, opened a daylight advantage and held on to win by 1 1/4 lengths from the odds-on favorite, Dragoon Guards.
The 5-year-old son of American Pharoah stopped the timer at 1:33.57 with Flavien Prat up for trainer Whit Beckman.
The $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Sandy Bottom Stakes for fillies and mares was run in two divisions.
Chasten, a 4-year-old Into Mischief filly, outfinished the favorite, Her Laugh, to win the first heat by 1/2 length in track-record time of 1:33.40. Eunomia tracked pacesetting Queen Azteca in the second division, took over at the three-sixteenths and won by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:34.21.