Big Brown stunning in Preakness Big Brown put himself in line for a crack at the American Triple Crown with an emphatic win in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico last night. The colt delivered the goods as a 1-5 favourite should do to become the first Triple Crown winner for 30 years. He followed up his convincing success in the Kentucky Derby by finishing more than five lengths clear of Macho Again, and now heads to Belmont Park on June 7 for a crack at immortality. The Japanese-trained, impressive recent Belmont Park winner Casino Drive could await Big Brown there, but trainer Rick Dutrow jnr is looking forward to the clash. ?The Japanese people are going to find out Godzilla is not dead," he said. Big Brown´s jockey Kent Desormeaux enjoyed a smooth passage in the Preakness, much as he had in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier. This time he was on the rail through the early stages, rather than on the far outside. Desormeaux got his horse off the rail coming to the final turn and the race was soon over. A furlong and a half out Desormeaux was in the clear. "An armchair ride and a push-button," said Desormeaux, who added that he began looking for competition "at about the half-mile pole". He said: "I was looking around, trying to make sure nobody slipped inside us. I was actually trying to slow him down. Then at the top of the stretch I pushed the button and said, ´Bye-bye´." A tremendous cheer from the sunbaked crowd escorted Big Brown to the wire and US racing was given another shot at its 12th Triple Crown winner. Should he win the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown would become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Dutrow said: "We have got some horse left for the Belmont. Kent rode him for only about a sixteenth of a mile. I think we´ll be ready for the Belmont. "Goingdown the backside, when Kent got him out and he was laying third on the outside, I knew the race was over. He just bided his time as long as he could. It was beautiful." The trainer added: "I was nervous, scared about the two weeks , stuff like that, but he´s overcome everything. "It doesn´t look like he got on his belly today, so we should have enough horse to get the job done." Dutrow said that Big Brown would have only one piece of work during the three weeks leading up to the final race in the Triple Crown series. The post-race interview took a bump up in volume when the trainer was asked about Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes winner Casino Drive, who awaits Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes. "I would like to have him," said Dutrow. "That´s number one. He´s a nice horse. "Number two, I believe I can beat him." With Big Brown clear and away, Derby Trial winner Macho Again put in a nice late run to edge locally based Icabad Crane for the runner-up berth by half a length, with Racecar Rhapsody less than a length back in fourth. "We just got beat by a monster," said Julien Leparoux, rider of Macho Again. "He might just be a Triple Crown winner. This is kind of the best second place I´ve ever had. I don´t like to be second but it´s not bad to be second to this horse."
