Arabian Lion, General Jim Head Woody Stephens

Five years after Justify   cruised in the Belmont Stakes (G1) to reign as United States racing's 13th Triple Crown hero, one of his fastest progeny to date will seek to become the young stallion's first grade 1 winner. Arabian Lion , last seen winning the Sir Barton Stakes in Justify-esque fashion on the Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard, is the 4-1 second choice against 7-2 favorite General Jim , the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) winner, in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs on the Belmont undercard. 

General Jim, by Into Mischief  , enters the Woody Stephens on a two-race win streak since adding blinkers for the seven-furlong Swale Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in February. The $850,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase from 2021 has been based at Belmont since early April and has three breezes over the main track since shipping to Churchill Downs for the Pat Day. 

"I couldn't be any more pleased with the way he's been running," Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. "I think the blinkers really helped, and in the Swale, I told (Luis) Saez to sort of take him back and let him finish, and I think that helps him, too. He's kind of learning to run by horses instead of hanging on horses. He's going to learn, and when he does, it's going to be fun."

General Jim and Saez will break from post 4, just outside of Arabian Lion and John Velazquez, who will almost certainly bound to the lead and try to win it Justify-style. 

"He is like a smaller version of Justify and I think he is just starting to wake up," Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert warned after the Sir Barton. 

Baffert also trains Fort Bragg , who led the Pat Day into deep stretch before being collared by General Jim. The Tapit   colt made his previous three starts for Tim Yakteen while Baffert horses were barred from accruing Road to the Kentucky Derby points and from racing at Churchill Downs.

Another subplot involving Baffert is the fortunes of Fort Warren , owned by the same powerful partnership as Fort Bragg and another Woody Stephens entrant, Gilmore , trained by Brendan Walsh, not to mention Preakness Stakes (G1) winner National Treasure . The SF-Starlight-Madaket-Masterson-Stonestreet-Schoenfarber-Waves Edge-Donovan conglomerate reportedly moved Fort Warren from Baffert to current trainer Brittany Russell after a third in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) to give him a chance at the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail. But the Curlin   colt did not show up again until winning an allowance on Preakness Day, still under the care of Russell, an ascendant force on the East Coast winning at a 28% clip this year. 

Russell is a former assistant to two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, who also is prominent in the Woody Stephens with Victory Formation . By 2017 Belmont winner Tapwrit  , Victory Formation's effort will be closely watched for whatever it might reveal about the chances of Tapit Shoes  four races later in the Belmont. The stablemates were second (Tapit Shoes) and third (Victory Formation) last time out in the Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park. 

"He's cutting from a mile and an eighth to seven furlongs," Cox said of Victory Formation. "I kind of thought that was something he wants to do. Based on his pedigree he should be a mile and a half horse, but you really don't see that and he seems to be better around one turn."

Thirteen were entered for the $400,000 Woody Stephens, compared to only six or fewer in each of the last three runnings.