Colonial Downs $3 Late Pick 3 | Friday, June 26, 2026

Turf, turf and more turf. That’s the buzzword as Colonial Downs begins its Summer Meet this weekend. The Friday (Day 2) card closes with five consecutive races on the grass, three for fillies and mares that make up the $3 Late Pick 3 ticket listed below.

Colonial Downs 6th Race (2:55 EST)

CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH leaves the barn of Gulfstream Park leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., but she is worth a live longshot look, nonetheless, to break her maiden off a four-month layoff. Her turf resume includes two one-mile placings at Gulfstream, a pace-setting fade to finish between four next-out winners at Kentucky Downs (avg 75 Beyer) and a brutal trip last out when she was steadied repeatedly and checked out of the race with apparent run on the final turn. She also has some speed, a big plus in this field. IMPROBABLE TALE, fractious in the gate and widest on the final turn, rallied to just miss as the lone first-time starter in a MSW race turf route at Laurel Park. SWEET LITTLE LILA, out-kicked by the winning favorite twice in MSW company at Aqueduct a 2-year-old, could break through with a victory for Team Russell at the same distance.

Colonial Downs 7th Race (3:25 p.m. EST)

ACHIEVE controlled a moderate pace but found gears as needed in a visually impressive repeat victory in a $25,000 optional claiming race. She beat a weaker field on paper than she meets today, but the winning time was only 2/5 slower than a same-day stakes race for older fillies and mares. She is today’s Pick 3 solo play. Add EPIC STYLE to the ticket if there are any scratches on our suggested ticket. She broke her maiden from post 12 at this distance on the Fair Grounds lawn, posted a pair of 87 Beyers when rallying for second at 5-1/2F recently, now draws the rail for trainer Michael Stidham, who is 17/6-4-2 since May 16 with stretch-out turf runners.

Colonial Downs 8th Race (3:56 p.m. EST)

Eight of the 12 entrants in this maiden claimer last raced at different tracks. The arrive with a combined 37/0-7-3 record on the lawn. Go deep in the final leg of the sequence, with a lean toward HOTTER THAN FIRE, who raced 3-wide on the turns, vied between rivals in the stretch and got caught by the favorite in a longer route race at Laurel Park.

Suggested $3 Pick 3
CNL 6th Race: 1, 6, 7
CNL 7th Race: 10 (add #1 if scratched)
CNL 8th Race: 2, 3, 6, 7, 11
Cost for a $3 ticket: $45

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