It’s not every day a horse like Big Brown shows up to attract media attention; It’s been about 30 years, actually. So why are horse racing fans clamoring to bet on him to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes? It’s simple really: Big Brown has won the first two jewels, he’s fast, he’s strong, he has excellent stamina and godly determination. But above all else, he has the heart of a champion: a Triple Crown champion.

When Big Brown burst through the gates in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and swept Churchill Downs to win by 4 3/4 lengths over second-place finisher Eight Belles, we all watched in awe. When he made a repeat performance in the 2008 Preakness Stakes, this time finishing 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Macho Again, we all stood up and cheered because we all knew this was a special moment.

Big Brown is a big deal, it’s the real deal.

So what if you have a crack in your hoof? (It has been repaired and, according to trainer Rick Dutrow, is like new.) What will we do if Big Brown wins the 2008 Belmont Stakes? What will we do if he doesn’t?

The overwhelming favorite to win the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown must know instinctively that this upcoming race will be his biggest.

Favorites with odds to win the Belmont Stakes have gone 12 of 30 and the last five horses have been beaten. The last favorite to win the Belmont Stakes was the last horse to win the Triple Crown, claimed in 1978. If Big Brown can win this one, he will become the 12th Triple Crown winner in American Thoroughbred racing history. .

Here is the list of Triple Crown hopefuls who won the first two jewels, but then lost the final jewel: the Belmont Stakes:

Minor hoof injuries aside, Big Brown’s big day should still be a challenge

Critics and bettors say the field of horses competing in the Belmont Stakes is not as challenging as it has been in the past; that due to its sheer size and strength, a winning bet on Big Brown looks easy enough even for the novice handicapper.

But don’t be too quick to write off one of Big Brown’s main competitors: Casino Drive.

Casino Drive is from the same mare (Better Than Honor) as the last two Belmont Stakes winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches, and won the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths, covering 1 1/8 miles. track at Belmont Park in 1:47.87 and earned a Beyer speed figure of 101. With that kind of history, you’d think Casino Drive could make quick work of the established 1 1/2-mile dirt oval track in front of him in the next Belmont Stakes.

Even with Big Brown kicking dirt in his face?

Jockey Kent Desmoreaux, the American Thoroughbred Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the American record for most races won in a single year, will remount Big Brown on race day, June 7 . Having won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes atop Big Brown, Desmoreaux knows what this special horse is capable of. Ironically, Desmoreaux was also the winning jockey who led Casino Drive to victory in the Peter Pan Stakes. However, Desmoreaux stands by his decision when asked which is the better horse: Casino Drive or Big Brown.

“This is the best horse I’ve ever ridden,” Desmoreaux told reporters at a news conference after the 2008 Preakness Stakes. “I said it.”

Watch and bet on Big Brown going the distance to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown on Saturday June 7th. Post time is 6:30 pm EST on ABC.