The 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival temporarily moves to the historic Saratoga Race Course this weekend. Saturday’s undercard features the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes, a $500,000 seven-furlong sprint drawing a competitive field of nine elite three-year-olds. Post time is scheduled for 4:52 p.m. ET as Race 10.
CSLR Racing Partners’ undefeated colt Crude Velocity enters as the 9-5 morning-line favorite, according to Forbes. Jockey Florent Geroux gets the mount following the horse’s recent victory in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert conditions the favorite and is aiming for his fourth career win in the race, a historical benchmark verified by OffTrackBetting. He previously scored with Bayern in 2014, American Anthem in 2017, and Arabian Lion in 2023.
The 3-1 second choice is Englishman, trained by Cherie DeVaux with Jose Ortiz taking the reins. Solitude Dude, ridden by Flavien Prat, sits at 6-1 on the morning line. They lead a deep group of challengers looking to upset the Baffert trainee.
Regulators are enforcing strict medication protocols for the sprint. The official New York Racing Association entry sheet dictates that Lasix is prohibited within 48 hours of post time pursuant to HISA Rule 4212.