Rick Dutrow, Jr. has had a hard life. Nearly all his struggles in life, he’ll tell you, came from himself. The son of a successful horse trainer, he grew up to be a high school dropout, drug addict, and ne’er-do-well living in one of the barns at Aqueduct as recently as a decade ago. His girlfriend (and fellow addict) had been murdered in a robbery, leaving him with their young child.

Now he’s known as a wildly successful horse trainer, guiding Big Brown to the Belmont Stakes with the chance to secure the first Triple Crown in what seems like umpteen years. He’s independently wealthy and has come to relish the fame that comes from being on top again.

The hard livin’ man never fully left the savvy professional, though. That’s why we get colorful stories about him laying $100,000 of his own money on Big Brown in the Belmont and his recent comment that no one would dare intentionally block Big Brown from winning the Triple Crown because “… if someone did something like that they might get assassinated after the race.”

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• Indy Car’s new “Danica Rule” weighs heavy on our minds.

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Big Brown is one Belmont Stakes win away from capturing horse racing’s elusive Triple Crown. And trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. sounds very confident in his steed. In fact, he’s down right arrogant.

ESPN looks a gift horse trainer in the mouth, as Dutrow took a swipe at the competition Wednesday. Casino Drive is being talked about as the best bet to beat Big Brown at the Belmont. But Dutrow isn’t buying it:

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Winning two of the biggest high-profile horse races back-to-back? Good.

Getting a 50-million dollar deal to spend your retirement impregnating the ladies? Better. Read more…

After the injury and subsequent euthanizing of Eight Bells at the Derby two weeks ago, there hasn’t been much fanfare heading into this year’s Preakness, which runs today.

Thoughts of Big Brown winning the Triple Crown have been replaced with a general uneasiness about the race — and the entire industry of horse racing. Read more…

• Having conquered Major League Baseball, THE HATER NATION has styling news that Alyssa Milano is now offering her wares to Raiders fans.

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SbB’s back from the Virgin Islands to the not-so-virgin South Beach.

• Randy Moss has his own dirty Derby with Miss Kentucky USA.

• Meanwhile, Mike Tirico gets the runaround from a PETA spokesperson when trying to ask a question about the Eight Belles tragedy.

• But the fallen filly is getting her revenge, thanks to this heavy horse in England.

• A Chicago columnist blows up over blow-up dolls in the White Sox clubhouse.

• That writer needs to relax. May this baby buy you a beer?

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Horse racing picked up a valuable lesson from one of its endlessly circling brethren over the weekend when Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby in overwhelming fashion: get sponsors on the horses. Big Brown’s association with UPS (who likes their association with racing of all types) gave UPS $1.4 million in indirect exposure.

(By the way, we always wonder about those ‘exposure’ numbers that try to measure indirect publicity. We suspect the math works on a similar level to the Oscar viewership numbers and counting iTunes songs. And how do they factor in the Maker’s Mark we’ve consumed that will wipe our memory of the race?)

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• Move over, Allie LaForce: WHEN KEGSTANDS GO WRONG serves up yet another collegiate challenger to someday succeed sideline siren Erin Andrews - Liberty University sports reporter Samantha Steele:

Better watch your back, Erin!

On second thought, we’ll watch it for you.

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And be sure and check out the EXCLUSIVE SPORTSbyBROOKS Girls!

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• DEADSPIN feels pretty, oh so pretty, as the WNBA gives their rookie class some fashion tips.

• Papa John’s wants to make up for their LeBron James “Crybaby” shirts by offering Clevelanders 23-cent pizzas. Unfortunately, the garlic sauce will now cost $11.99.

• Darren Rovell of CNBC knows Big Brown is in good hands, as the Kentucky Derby winner is insured for $50 million.

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