Both of Pin Oak Stud's Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders, Albus and Incredibolt, will receive some time off at their farm near Versailles, Ky., and miss summer racing, trainer Riley Mott said July 8.
A grade 3 winner last year at 2, Incredibolt won the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs in March before finishing sixth in the May 2 Derby at Churchill Downs and fifth two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park. The son of Bolt d'Oro breezed twice at Churchill Downs in June in advance of a potential start in either the Indiana Derby (G3) or Iowa Derby, both on July 11. But Mott said Incredibolt came out of his :49 4/5 half-mile work June 20 a little "jammed up," leading to the decision to give the colt some rest.
"He's going to get a couple months turned out," Mott said. "Nothing major, but we thought out of an abundance of caution and looking into the future that it would probably benefit him to get some time off now."
Winner of the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack in April, Albus experienced a rough start in the Kentucky Derby, getting squeezed by horses on both sides, eventually finishing 15th. He returned June 20 in the Ohio Derby (G3) where he stalked the pace before fading to seventh.
"We're going to give him a couple easy months on the farm, freshen him up, and hopefully have him late this fall or beginning of next year," Mott said of the Yaupon colt. "Nothing either one can't come back from, and hopefully come back stronger horses."
Mott is hopeful the best is still to come given their later foal dates, Incredibolt born April 4 and Albus May 15.
"Hopefully, they can still have room to grow and improve," Mott said. "I always thought, physically, the frames that they have lended to being later developers. We're hopeful, but you really have to see them do it—take that step from 3 to 4—because a lot of them don't. But the good ones do."
