ELMONT, N.Y. – Handicappers will have their work cut out trying to solve the puzzle that is Saturday’s $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park. The seven-furlong dash drew a full and extremely competitive field of 13 3-year-olds, one of whom will become a Grade 1 winner for the first time. Nine of the 13 are coming off their career-best efforts from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, including likely favorites General Jim and Arabian Lion. The remainder of the lineup is so talented and well matched that horses like Drew’s Gold, Federal Judge, and New York Thunder, who come into the race undefeated and virtually unchallenged in a combined nine starts, are listed at 8-1, 8-1, and 12-1, respectively, on the morning line. The pace figures to be a hot one in the Woody Stephens, which should prove an advantage for both General Jim, who rallied to victories in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile and Grade 3 Swale in his last two starts, and Arabian Lion, who is turning back in distance off an eye-catching four-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Sir Barton on Preakness Day at Pimlico. General Jim had considerable success early in his career going two turns on turf but seems to have found his true niche since being shortened to seven furlongs and equipped with blinkers to win the Swale on Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park. After being forced to miss a potential start in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth due to illness, trainer Shug McGaughey gave General Jim a break, targeting instead the Pat Day Mile on May 6 at Churchill Downs. That decision paid off with a hard-fought neck victory over Fort Bragg, a performance that earned General Jim a career-best 100 Beyer. “His last race was a big effort, I was very proud of the way he ran and it was a big deal to us to get that race under his belt,” said McGaughey, who won the Woody Stephens three times when it was known as the Riva Ridge. “He’s trained very well since. The blinkers have helped him big time, they’ve really made him focus. This is going to be a very competitive race, and I’m really anxious to see how he stacks up with a group like this.” :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Join DRF Bets and get a $250 deposit match bonus, $10 free bet, and FREE DRF Formulator! Arabian Lion was a bit of a disappointment early in his career, finishing off the board in his first two graded stakes tries before moving forward with a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Lexington. The Lexington was prelude to his dazzling performance in the Sir Barton, for which he received a 103 Beyer. “I think he’s just learning and getting better and better,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “If this were a mile race it would be better, but it’s the Woody Stephens and it’s a Grade 1 and sometimes they run well on the turnback.” Fort Bragg will give Baffert a potent one-two punch in the Woody Stephens while trying to avenge his narrow setback to General Jim in the Pat Day Mile. “He ran well. He got away a little flat-footed and just got beat there at the end,” Baffert said of Fort Bragg. “He got a really good trip, he just got outrun, but if he can bring that race back, it puts him right there.” Baffert will put blinkers back on Fort Bragg in the Woody Stephens. :: DRF Belmont Stakes Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Drew’s Gold has launched his career with four consecutive victories, improving with each start. His last outing was easily his best yet, a 4 3/4-length triumph in the six-furlong Gold Fever on May 12 at Belmont. Drew’s Gold will attempt to stretch his abundant speed beyond that distance for the first time in the Woody Stephens while drawn on the extreme outside in post 13. “I think the post is great. This will give us a chance to see how everything develops and he’s already proven he doesn’t need to be on the lead. He likes to run down horses,” trainer James Chapman said. “And seven-eighths should help him, considering his mother” – Frolic’s Revenge – “won going a mile and a sixteenth.” Gilmore, who was hung extremely wide into the stretch, and Gun Pilot, the third- and fifth-place finishers, respectively, in the Pat Day Mile, also should benefit from the projected pace in the Woody Stephens. Both are coming off lifetime-best Beyers in their last starts. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.