Big Brown is coming home a winner. The Long Island stallion galloped away with a stunning win at the Preakness yesterday after a nail-biting start to the race, putting him one victory away from the coveted Triple Crown. The 3-year-old colt, owned by Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo, left the field in the dust, besting the second-place steed, Macho Again, by more than five lengths at the Pimlico race course in Baltimore. "It's the most mind-boggling experience I ever had," said Iavarone, a Bethpage native who admitted he was "nervous" while watching the race at the track. "We're going back to New York. That's the first thing that went through my head," said Iavarone. "Being from New York and Long Island and having grown up at [Belmont] is a thrill. I'm certainly not going to believe this until I'm there." With the Kentucky Derby and Preakness under their belt, the team is poised to capture the Crown on June 7 at the Belmont Stakes in New York, where Big Brown is stabled. After blasting out of the gates in yesterday's race, Big Brown seemed to get lost in the middle of the pack. But in a near replication of his thrilling win in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago - the first for a New York horse in five years - the colt exploded to the finish line after the last turn.

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