Speed is the most valuable trait in a thoroughbred, and Woody Stephens (1913-1998) knew how to use it. His masterful job with 1982 Belmont Stakes (G1) hero Conquistador Cielo was one of his greatest feats.
After the brilliant colt dominated the Met Mile (G1) on Memorial Day, Stephens made the gutsy move of entering him in the Belmont five days later. Alleged experts questioned Stephens, figuring his horse wouldn't stay 1 1/2 miles, especially on short rest. Wrong. Conquistador Cielo led throughout the “Test of the Champion” in a 14-length runaway, the first of Woody's five consecutive Belmont wins, a record that will never be broken.
In 2006, eight years after Stephens' death, the Riva Ridge Stakes was renamed in his honor. Saturday's renewal of the 7-furlong Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) brings together a group of high-class sprinters.
The 9-5 morning-line favorite, undefeated Crude Velocity (post 6), is trained by Bob Baffert, like Stephens, a Hall of Famer who has produced dozens of top speed types. The 3-for-3 son of Beau Liam comes in off a 3 3/4-length romp in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard. He came from off the pace, just as he did in his other races, and his stalking style should be a good fit against a bunch of rivals who need the lead.
“We're cutting him back in distance off a pretty strong effort,” Baffert said. "We didn't scare anybody off, but he's doing well. We're looking forward to it.”
The Woody Stephens is one of six Grade 1s on the Belmont Day card at Saratoga, highlighted by the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1). Post time for the Belmont is 7:04 p.m. ET (NBC Sports).
| 2026 Belmont Stakes Odds | ||
| Official post positions set following the post-position draw on Monday, June 1, 2026. | ||
| PP | Horse / Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitruvian ManAntonio Fresu · D. O'Neill | 30/1 |
| 2 | PowershiftLuis Saez · T. Pletcher | 12/1 |
| 3 | Chief WallabeeJunior Alvarado · W. Mott | 3/1 |
| 4 | RenegadeIrad Ortiz Jr. · T. Pletcher | 2/1 |
| 5 | OttinhoDylan Davis · C. Brown | 20/1 |
| 6 | Growth EquityManny Franco · C. Brown | 12/1 |
| 7 | CommandmentJohn Velazquez · B. Cox | 6/1 |
| 8 | Emerging MarketFlavien Prat · C. Brown | 6/1 |
| 9 | Golden TempoJose Ortiz · C. DeVaux | 9/2 |
Last Updated on 06/01/2026
Pat Day runner-up Englishman (post 7, 3-1), will take on Crude Velocity again. He led from the start at Churchill Downs until Crude Velocity blew past him inside the eighth pole and drew away. It was the first defeat in three starts for the son of Maxfield, who is trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, the Derby-winning duo.
“I have a lot of respect for Englishman,” Baffert said. “To run him down, that was pretty impressive. It should be a great race.”
Saffie Joseph, Jr. trains the very quick Solitude Dude (post 5, 6-1), a three-time winner of ungraded stakes who's 2-for-2 going the demanding distance of 7 furlongs. During the winter, Joseph said Solitude Dude had Grade 1 potential, and this will be his first chance to see if he's right.
“He has a lot of talent,” Joseph said. “He has speed, but he can relax and is push-button. The race came up very tough. This will be a test, but we feel that at one turn, he could be very good. I definitely feel he's a one-turn horse.”
Solitude Dude is 4-for-4 around one turn, with his only loss a solid third behind Belmont Stakes contenders Commandment and Chief Wallabee in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).
Other frontrunners in the lineup are Six Speed (post 3, 10-1) and Taj Mahal (post 9, 15-1), the pacesetters in the Derby and Preakness (G1), respectively. The Woody Stephens came up so tough that the Preakness favorite is 15-1. Two 8-1 shots, Gilded Bandit (post 1) and Obliteration (post 2) can't be ruled out as exacta candidates. Gilded Bandit (2-for-3) makes his stakes debut with strong late-pace figures, and Obliteration, winner of last year's Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga, is 5-for-5 in the money on dirt.
Post time is 4:52 p.m. ET (race 10)
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
