Big Brown given race-day blowout

BALTIMORE - About 13 hours before he was to run in Saturday's $1 million Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown blew out a quarter of a mile in 25.80 seconds at Pimlico.

Regular exercise rider Michelle Nevin was in the irons for what amounted to a strong gallop through the stretch. Due to wet tracks at Churchill Downs, Big Brown did more jogging than galloping in between the Derby and the Preakness.

As of 10:40 a.m., Big Brown was a 1-9 favorite for the Preakness. Gayego was the second choice at 13-1.