Big Brown is understandably the favorite to win today's Preakness, but he's also the favorite to potentially test dirty after it.

That's because Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, has what you might call a bit of a history of producing horses that were on some kind of illegal substance.

Dutrow has been fined or suspended each of the past eight years for doping-related offenses, most recently a pair of $500 fines in January for illegal amounts of Phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory drug, at Gulfstream Park in Florida. His horses have also tested positive for illegal amounts of Clenbuterol, a respiratory drug, and Lasix, an anti-bleeding medication.

Dutrow has also openly acknowledged that he gives his horses the anabolic steroid Winstrol on a monthly basis. Winstrol is the same steroid that has been linked to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Ben Johnson. So in other words, I know who I'm betting on today.

What's funny about Dutrow pumping his horses up with steroids is that it isn't even illegal. Apparently horse racing has no uniform rules, and Winstrol is not considered a banned substance.

So even though Barry and Roger may be done in baseball, but they have a bright future in horse racing.

Obviously Dutrow isn't the only trainer who juices his horse. Steve Asmussen, Curlin's trainer, served a six-month suspension in 2006 after one of his horses was found with 750 times the legal limit of mepivacaine - which is some kind of anesthetic. Asmussen has a total of 22 drug-related offenses on his record.

So as much fun as I'll have watching the Preakness today, I might as well just be watching a track meet of Marion Jones versus Ben Johnson. But that's OK, I've always kinda wanted to see that.


Is Dutrow Crown worthy? [Baltimore Sun]