he can sprint, but can he run?

Big Brown is just one more jewel away from the Triple Crown, after winning today's Maryland Preakness.

I forgot to watch, or rather, don't care to watch standard coverage, as they never show adequate shots of the horses, preferring to focus on the pretty people and commentary.

Here's how to judge a good racehorse: You want an intelligent eye and a well formed neck. you want a deep broad chest. That's where the wind and stamina come from. You want a nice full round end with even hocks and strong cannon bones for the distance guys. From that deep broad chest straight strong legs should spring-the wide chest gives them the spread. Good pasterns and no paddling. The Thin dainty porcelan ones might be good in a sprint, but the next jewel is about stamina.

The Preakness is under a mile-13/16 of a mile. The Belmont, June 7 in New York, is a mile and a half.

Big Brown's jockey is Kent Desormeaux, a cajun who started off racing in Maryland, moved to Cali, and returned to New York, so he was not only familiar with Pimlico but also will be familiar with the track at Belmont.

This is Desormeaux's second try at the Triple Crown, losing the Belmont in 1998 on
Real Quiet.

Kent Desormeaux has a wife and two sons, one of whom, age 9, has a rare genetic disorder called "Usher's syndrome" which leads to loss of hearing and blindness. His family was at Pimilico to cheer him on to victory today.