Big Love for Big Brown

At a mile and a half, the Belmont is the Triple Crown's most grueling test; 10 bids have failed there over the past 30 years. Most recently, Smarty Jones lost a heartbreaker in 2004. At Big Brown's Belmont stall, his big brown (naturally) eyes glow with confidence. His coat shines; he flirts with a filly in the next stall. Aw, heck, how are we supposed to know what the horse is feeling? Best we can do is ask the trainer. "We're going to win the race," Dutrow says.

Chasing History

How would Big Brown run against the Triple Crown champs? If you added up each winner's times in the three big races and projected Big Brown's Belmont time, on the basis of his results in the first two races, he would finish second to Secretariat. You can't bet on that--track conditions vary, for one--but here are the five fastest Triple Crown times and where Big Brown could stack up

6 War Admiral 12.4 sec. back [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

1937 The prickly son of Man o' War rarely saw a starting gate he liked to enter, but once he exited, he usually won. A year after the Triple Crown, he lost a head-to-head race with rival Seabiscuit.

5 Count Fleet 11.8 sec. back [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

1943 Owned by car-rental baron John D. Hertz, the feisty brown speedster crushed two rivals to win the Belmont by 25 lengths. But a minor ankle injury didn't heal, and he never raced again.

4 Seattle Slew 8.4 sec. back [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

1977 A string of prerace mishaps--including being badly spooked by a band playing the national anthem--didn't stop Seattle Slew from taking the Derby. He became the first undefeated Triple Crown winner.

3 Affirmed 4.6 sec. back [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

1978 The greatest rivalry in horseracing reached a climax at the Belmont, when Affirmed nosed out Alydar at the finish. Affirmed won the crown, and Alydar was the bridesmaid all three times.

2 Big Brown [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

*Estimates

2008 Named for the trucking company UPS, Big Brown won the Derby and Preakness by an average of 5 lengths to remain undefeated. He is a heavy favorite to capture the first Triple Crown in 30 years.

1 Secretariat 4.4 sec. back* [This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine.]

1973 The chestnut superhorse remains the yardstick by which all others are measured. He still holds the records for the Derby and the Belmont, and a clock controversy may have robbed him of a Preakness record.