Elmont, NY (Betting Express) - Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown is one victory away from snapping the 30-year drought of Triple Crown winners, and on Saturday will start from the inside post position in the Belmont Stakes as he tries to put his name next to the 11 thoroughbreds who have swept the three classic races.

Big Brown has been made the 2-5 favorite for Saturday's 1 1/2 mile "Test of Champions" at Belmont Park. The colt drew post position No. 1 and will take on nine challengers in his pursuit of immortality.

Owned by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown can become the first three-year-old to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. He is the first winner of the first two legs since Smarty Jones in 2004.

Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. will again give a leg up to jockey Kent Desormeaux on Saturday.

"I cannot imagine what I'm going to feel like when we turn for home," Dutrow said about the Belmont Stakes. "I just cannot -- I know that it is going to be a beautiful picture for us. I know our horse is just -- he is just in a zone and I see his competition and I just know that (turning) for home, something is going to come over (the crowd), so I cannot wait."

Undefeated in five career starts, Big Brown has earnings of $2,714,500. He has won all five races by a combined total of 39 lengths.

The colt suffered a quarter-crack of his left front foot during training two weeks ago. He has been treated by hoof specialist Ian KcKinlay with stainless steel sutures and a patch.

"I do not feel pressure. You know, when I have seen that little crack on his foot, you know, I felt uneasy," commented Dutrow. "But after talking to Ian on the phone, he even suggested where the quarter-crack was and he said, 'Rick, do not worry, it is just a quarter-crack.'"

Since Affirmed's Triple Crown run in 1978 there have been 10 thoroughbreds that have gone into the Belmont Stakes with a chance at taking the Triple Crown, but all have failed.

Along with Big Brown, the horse getting the most attention for the Belmont Stakes is Peter Pan Stakes winner Casino Drive. Based in Japan, Casino Drive won the Peter Pan at Belmont Park by nearly six lengths and is the 7-2 second choice in the morning-line.

Owned by Yamamoto Hidetoshi and trained by Kazuo Fujisawa, Casino Drive will be ridden by Edgar Prado from post five. Prado was aboard Sarava in 2002 and Birdstone in 2004 to win the Belmont Stakes -- each time denying a Triple Crown champion, first War Emblem and then Smarty Jones.

The winner of both of his two career starts, Casino Drive has earned $185,282. He is a half-brother to the last two Belmont Stakes winners, Jazil and Rags to Riches.

Preakness runner-up Macho Again takes another shot at Big Brown on Saturday. The Derby Trial victor is 20-1 in the program and will break from post three with Garrett Gomez riding.

Dallas Stewart trains Macho Again for West Point Thoroughbreds. The colt was sixth in the Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in January and seventh to Adriano in the Lane's End Stakes. The colt has won three of nine lifetime starts for $343,761.

"He's doing great," Stewart said. "He's on his toes and looks awesome, so we're just hoping to go up there (Belmont Park) with a lot in the tank."

Denis of Cork, third in the Kentucky Derby, returns from a five-week rest for trainer David Carroll and owners Mr. and Mrs. William Warren. The three-year- old is 12-1 in the morning-line and will start from post four. Robby Albarado will be in the saddle, replacing Calvin Borel who rode the colt in the Run for the Roses.

Denis of Cork was fifth in the Illinois Derby as the even-money favorite after winning the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He has won three of five career starts for $413,552.

The Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher, Tale of Ekati, has drawn post seven in the 10-horse field and is 20-1 in the program. This is the colt's first race in New York since he won the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

Owned by Charles E. Fipke, Tale of Ekati will be ridden by Eibar Coa, who had the mount at Churchill Downs. The three-year-old has earned $869,200 in seven career starts with three wins.

Tale of Ekati is trained by Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide to victories in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Earlier this year, the colt was sixth to Pyro in the Louisiana Derby.

Icabad Crane, third to Big Brown in the Preakness, is 20-1 in the morning-line and will start from the far outside post with jockey Jeremy Rose. Rose won the Belmont Stakes three years ago aboard Afleet Alex.

Trained by Graham Motion, the colt won the Federico Tesio Stakes in April and was third in the Rushaway Stakes in March.

Owned by Earle Mack, Icabad Crane has won three of five lifetime starts for $235,400.

Trainer Nick Zito has a pair of three-year-olds entered in the 1 1/2 mile race. Anak Nakal, seventh in the Kentucky Derby, and Da' Tara, runner-up in the Barbaro Stakes. Both are 30-1 in the morning-line and are separate betting interests.

Owned by Four Roses Thoroughbreds, Anak Nakal will break from post eight with Julien Leparoux riding. Da' Tara will have Alan Garcia in the saddle and start from post six.

Anak Nakal is still trying for his first good effort this year. Since his victory in the Kentucky Juvenile Cup in November, Anak Nakal was eighth in the Fountain of Youth, seventh in the Rebel Stakes and fifth in the Wood Memorial. He has earned $243,416 with two wins in seven career starts.

Da' Tara, owned by Robert LaPenta, has one win in seven lifetime starts for $64,067. Along with his second-place finish at Pimlico, he was ninth in the Florida Derby and fifth in the Derby Trial. Da' Tara will break from post six.

Zito saddled Birdstone to win the 2004 Belmont Stakes and deny Smarty Jones the Triple Crown.

A new face on the Triple Crown scene is lightly-raced Ready's Echo. The three- year-old is 30-1 in the morning-line and will break from post nine with John Velazquez. Velazquez and Ready's Echo's trainer Todd Pletcher won this race last year with the filly Rags to Riches.

"Definitely, to win another Belmont would be really, really nice," said Velazquez. "I think he has a very good chance."

Ready's Echo is coming off a third-place finish in the Peter Pan Stakes and has career earnings of $67,200 in four lifetime starts with one win and two second-place results.

A late entry into the Belmont Stakes is Guadalcanal, a three-year-old who has yet to win a race. He will start next to Big Brown in the two hole and is the longest shot in the program at 50-1.

Guadalcanal is owned and trained by Fred Seitz and will be ridden on Saturday by Javier Castellano.

The weather forecast for the Belmont Stakes calls for partly cloudy skies with a 30-percent chance of isolated thunderstoms, winds from the south 5-15 m.p.h. and a post-time temperature near 85.

Post-time for the 140th Belmont Stakes is 6:25 p.m.(et). The race will be televised by ABC.