by Tom Law

IEAH Stable’s and Paul Pompa Jr.’s Big Brown became the fourth runner in this decade to sweep the first two American classics and will bid to become racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner next month on the heels of his convincing 5 1/4-length victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Big Brown, already a convincing 4 3/4-length winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) two weeks earlier, stayed undefeated in five career starts with his win in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at odds of 1-to-5 under jockey Kent Desormeaux. Runner-up Macho Again edged third-place finisher Icabad Crane by a half-length with Racecar Rhapsody fourth in the field of 12. Final time was 1:54.80.

“It was almost a déjà vu to the Kentucky Derby,” Desormeaux said. “I was nervous as nuts the first quarter of a mile. I thought they would do just what they did, blinkers added, not one grain of sand in his face, what a lovely ride I had.

“This is my home, 'Maryland, My Maryland.' I cut my teeth to the industry here, it feels like I go home to my mother’s house, like I walk into my bedroom and that’s how it feels to be in Maryland.”

Big Brown is the 32nd Thoroughbred to win the Derby and Preakness and the first since Smarty Jones in 2004. Others this decade were Funny Cide in 2003 and War Emblem in ’02.

The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978 and ten three-year-olds have won the Derby and Preakness since, only to come up short in the Belmont Stakes (G1). The 1 1/2-mile Belmont will be run for the 140th time on June 7 at Belmont Park.

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was extremely confident heading into the Derby with Big Brown, but noticeably quiet in the days leading up the Preakness. The affable conditioner admitted in the post-race interview that he was a bit nervous about the Preakness.

“I guess I was nervous, scared, the two weeks, but he’s overcome all that,” Dutrow said of the two-week turnaround after the Derby. “He just keeps on getting better. He just keeps showing everybody that he’s special. Going down the backside and Kent had him three wide on the backside, I knew it was going to be over.

Dutrow hinted that Big Brown’s effortless victory in the Preakness should be a warning to his potential opponents in the Belmont.

“It doesn’t look like he got on his belly today, so looks like we’ve got some horse left,” Dutrow said.

Tom Law is managing editor of Thoroughbred Times