BROCK SHERIDAN
Robert Prouix’s Julee’s Legacy has been tabbed as the 3-5 morning line favorite for Saturday’s $62,500 Jackie H. Qualifier going six furlongs at Colonial Downs as she tries for six straight wins and eighth victory in her last nine races. Julee’s Legacy joins fellow Florida-breds Awesome Pic and Miguel’s Belle in the field of nine fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older, which have started for a claiming price of $16,000 or less in 2025-2026.
For the second consecutive year, Colonial Downs will host qualifying races for the Claiming Crown to be run at Churchill Downs on November 14. The top two finishers in each of Saturday’s nine starter handicaps will earn automatic berths in the 28th running of the Claiming Crown. The nine starter handicaps on Saturday’s 11-race program offer combined purses of $612,500.
Claimed for $6,250 out of a 10 ½-length victory at Gulfstream Park in November, a race in which Miguel’s Belle was also claimed, Julee’s Legacy is four-for-four since, all going four-and-a-half furlongs at Charles Town Race with jockey Jeiron Barbosa for trainer Michael E. Jones Jr.
The 5-year-old mare won an upper tier, $25,000 optional claiming on February 20 then took three straight allowance races beginning with a five-length romp on March 14. She next won by three-and-a-quarter lengths on May 1 and most recently scored by four-and-a-half lengths on June 20.
Jones will again give the leg up on Julee’s Legacy to Barbosa and they will break from post nine.
Julee’s Legacy has won nine of 15 career starts with three seconds while earning $247,893. Twice a graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales, Julee’s Legacy first sold for $7,500 to Das Stable at the 2022 Winter Mixed Sale when consigned by Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales. Later that year, Stephen Rousseau purchased her for $25,000 out of the Double Tap Sales consignment at the OBS October Yearling Sale. She is by Bucchero out of Goldenlegacy’shope, by Warrior’s Reward and was bred in Florida by Golden Legacy Stable.
Since the aforementioned claim at Gulfstream in November, Miguel’s Belle has been tagged again, this time by current trainer Michael V. Simone and owner Robert Deckert Jr. for $5,000 out of a second-place finish at Tampa Bay Downs on February 26.
Since, she has finished second six times in nine starts with two wins. In her last start, the 5-year-old daughter of Big Drama was second in a $5,000 starter allowance, $8,000 optional claiming going six furlongs at Delaware Park on July 24.
Miguel’s Belle has a career record of eight wins, 15 seconds and six thirds in 47 races with earnings of $221,105. She is out of Beautiful One, by Medaglia d’Oro and was bred in Florida by Palm Beach Racing III.
Paco Lopez will ride Miguel’s Belle from post four and they are 12-1 in the program.
Awesome Pic also ships in from Delaware Park, where the 6-year-old mare made her last two starts in $5,000 starter allowance, $8,000 optional claiming races going six furlongs. She won by a length-and-a-quarter on June 17 and last out was fourth on July 24.
Trained by Enrique Hernandez for Carlos Diaz, Awesome Pic is by Ocala Stud’s Awesome Slew out of Shirley’s Pic, by Overdriven and was bred in Florida by Richard George.
Daniel Centeno rides Awesome Pic for the first time and they have drawn post one. Awesome Pic is 20-1 on the morning line.
Rounding out the field are Miss Interpatation with jockey Cipriano Gil, Stylet with Samuel Marin named to ride, Tiz Purple and pilot Mychel Sanchez, Casa Juanita has Jose Vargas taking the assignment, Nomar Arroyo Bueno teams with Battleshipper and Jean Gregor Briceno will be aboard Destination.
