Belmont Stakes

1. BIG BROWN (2-5)

Owner: IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. Trainer: Rick Dutrow Jr. Jockey: Kent Desormeaux.

Sire: Boundary. Dam: Mien. Record: 5 races, 5 wins. Earnings: $2,714,500.

Comment: This will be the first start at Belmont for the colt, but he has shown he doesn’t need to carry his track around with him. His five wins have come at four different venues -- Saratoga, Gulfstream Park, Churchill Downs and Pimlico. . . .His brash trainer would have preferred being drawn near the outside but said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe post position could cost his horse the race.

2. GUADALCANAL (50-1)

Owner: Fred Seitz. Trainer: Fred Seitz. Jockey: Javier Castellano.

Sire: Graeme Hall. Dam: Bessette. Record: 5 races, 0 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third. Earnings: $16,100.

Comment: Maiden was a surprise entrant. . . .Owner-trainer reasoned the colt wants 12 furlongs and said there aren’t many opportunities to run a 3-year-old this distance. . . .Maidens have won the Belmont twice -- Algerine (1876) and Prince Eugene (1913). . . .Nolan’s Cat finished third as a maiden in the 2005 Belmont. . . .Finished second at 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Churchill Downs on May 23.

3. MACHO AGAIN (20-1)

Owner: West Point Thoroughbreds. Trainer: Dallas Stewart. Jockey: Garrett Gomez.

Sire: Macho Uno. Dam: Go Donna Go. Record: 9-3-3-0. Earnings: $343,761.

Comment: Rallied to complete the exacta in the Preakness. . . .This will be his first collaboration with Gomez. . . .The Preakness was the first time he had hit the board in a race around two turns. Previously, he had finished sixth in the LeComte on Jan. 12 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans and seventh in the Lanes End at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., on March 22.

4. DENIS OF CORK (12-1)

Owner: Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr. Trainer: David Carroll. Jockey: Robby Albarado.

Sire: Harlan’s Holiday. Dam: Unbridled Girl. Record: 5-3-0-1. Earnings: $413,552.

Comment: Rallied to be a non-threatening third in the Derby . . . Won the only other time he was ridden by Albarado. The pair teamed to win the Southwest at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., on Feb. 18. . . . Acts as if he will relish the Belmont distance.

5. CASINO DRIVE (7-2)

Owner: Hidetoshi Yamamoto. Trainer: Kazuo Fujisawa. Jockey: Edgar Prado.

Sire: A.P. Indy. Dam: Better Than Honour. Record: 2-2-0-0. Earnings: $185,282.

Comment: Considered by most to be the main threat to Big Brown. . . .After an auspicious debut in February in Japan, the $950,000 yearling purchase was visually impressive winning the Peter Pan at Belmont on May 20. . . .Prado has been a spoiler in bids for the Triple Crown before. He rode Sarava to a 70-1 shocker when War Emblem was going for a sweep in 2002, then directed Birdstone to a 36-1 upset over Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont.

6. DA’TARA (30-1)

Owner: Robert LaPenta. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Alan Garcia.

Sire: Tiznow. Dam: Torchera. Record: 7-1-2-1. Earnings: $64,067.

Comment: If there is going to be an upset of Big Brown, this won’t be the colt to accomplish the feat. . . .Only appearance in a graded stakes was a ninth in the Florida Derby, 23 1/2 lengths behind Big Brown. . . .Has yet to win on a fast track. Maiden victory came in the slop at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 5. . . .Second to stablemate Anak Nakal in his lone race at Belmont last Sept. 28.

7. TALE OF EKATI (20-1)

Owner: Charles Fipke. Trainer: Barclay Tagg. Jockey: Eibar Coa.

Sire: Tale Of The Cat. Dam: Silence Beauty. Record: 7-3-1-0. Earnings: $869,200.

Comment: Fourth, 11 lengths behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby. . . . Perfect in two starts at Belmont. Blitzed maidens by 8 1/4 lengths in his debut last July 7, then won the Futurity by one length on Sept. 15. . . .Claim to fame in 2008 was a win in a slow renewal of the Wood Memorial, a race in which the final three-eighths of a mile were run in almost 41 seconds.

8. ANAK NAKAL (30-1)

Owner: Four Roses Thoroughbreds. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Julien Leparoux.

Sire: Victory Gallop. Dam: Misk. Record: 7-2-1-0. Earnings: $243,416.

Comment: Was 15 lengths behind Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby when checking in seventh. . . .Biggest positive is that he is one for one at Belmont. . . .In the first start of his career last Sept. 28, the dark bay upset maidens at nearly 18-1 going seven furlongs. . . .Sire thwarted a Triple Crown in 1998, edging Real Quiet at the wire to capture the Belmont.

9. READY’S ECHO (30-1)

Owner: Let’s Go Stable. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. Jockey: John Velazquez.

Sire: More Than Ready. Dam: Menekineko. Record: 4-1-2-1. Earnings: $67,200.

Comment: First appearance in a Grade I for the lightly raced colt. . . .Finished a distant third behind Casino Drive in the Peter Pan last month in his initial appearance at Belmont Park. . . . Only victory came going seven furlongs versus maidens March 5 at Gulfstream Park. . . .Purchased for $100,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale in 2006.

10. ICABAD CRANE (20-1)

Owner: Earle I. Mack. Trainer: Graham Motion. Jockey: Jeremy Rose.

Sire: Jump Start. Dam: Adorahy. Record: 5-3-0-2. Earnings: $235,400.

Comment: Finished half a length behind Macho Again in the Preakness. . . ..Bested maidens in his career debut over a muddy surface at Aqueduct last Nov. 21, then won an allowance race over Aqueduct’s inner track on Jan. 20 in his 3-year-old debut. . . .Rose, who won the 2005 Belmont with Afleet Alex, was Big Brown’s jockey when the colt broke into the game with a monstrous maiden win on the turf late last summer at Saratoga.