Kent Desormeaux rides Big Brown to victory in the running of the 133rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Rob Carr/Associated Press)

Big Brown lived up to the pre-race hype on Saturday by dominating the field at the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes on the Pimlico course in Baltimore, setting up an attempt at American horse racing's Triple Crown.

The undefeated three-year-old moves on to the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 7, hoping to become the first horse to take the triple since Affirmed in 1978.

"We should have enough horse to get the job done," said trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who had predicted his bay colt would win the first two legs.

Kent Desormeaux brought Big Brown wide into the stretch and asked for some speed — and the race was done as the horse took off from the field and cruised in by 5 1/4 lengths. Macho Again was second with Icabad Crane third.

"It was almost like the Kentucky Derby. He just set sail," Desormeaux said.

Canadian-owned and trained Kentucky Bear stumbled out of the gate and could not challenge.

Big Brown broke well and went into the first turn with Hey Byrn and Gayego, the latter well outside.

Desormeaux kept his colt off the lead down the backstretch as Gayego, under the veteran Mike Smith, and Riley Tucker with Edgar Prado up stayed out in front.

"My whole job in that first half-mile was to keep his face clean," Desormeaux said. "There's not a grain of sand on most of his body."

Kentucky Bear came up the rail for a sniff, but finding the pace too much, he dropped back and was sixth.

Coming off the final turn with Big Brown moving on the outside, Desormeaux put the pedal down and his mount responded, blasting past everyone to build an eight-length lead.

Big Brown crossed the line already on his gallop out (to cool down) and with his jockey peeking back under his right arm to see how far back everyone else was.

They were a long way back.

"I looked between my legs, under my arms, they were eight back," Desormeaux said. "I just stopped riding, reeled him in and just made sure he didn't pull up. He just kept kicking his legs up and striding for the wire."

When Big Brown gets to the Belmont, he'll find a field full of the horses he beat at the Kentucky Derby. Only one of them, Gayego, followed him to Pimlico and the mile and 3/16 distance, 1/8 of a mile less than the Derby.

Included among those hoping to knock off Big Brown is expected to be Canadian-owned Tale of Ekati, the fourth-place finisher at the Derby.

With files from the Associated Press