Big Brown Machine

Big Brown isn't just a horse, he's an investment property. His majority owner is International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, an 80-member collective that operates like a hedge fund. The investors are money people with a rare opportunity to get emotionally involved, bringing a lot of action to the track where I.E.A.H. horses have raced.

"When Big Brown won the Florida Derby, I had to do a little census of the number of people in the winner's circle," says Gulfstream's head of media relations, Mike Mullaney. He says he stopped counting at 40.

Of course, that kind of backing may introduce a downside for the average bettor. With a battalion of rich people betting on Big Brown, the odds may get artificially lowered. That means lower payoffs for bets on Big Brown. Will he still be the favorite on Saturday, in a field of 20 horses?

"He'll be the favorite," Dutrow says with a laugh. "We're going to make sure of that."

How's It Hangin'?

It takes a lot of balls to stand up to the Florida Legislature, but Wilson Kemp has 'em. Hell, he has so many balls he sells a couple hundred thousand extra pairs to people around the world.

Kemp is the man behind Truck Nutz, the oversized artificial scrotum designed for display on the trailer hitch of full-sized pick-up trucks. On April 17, the Florida Senate passed an amendment that would levy $60 fines for Florida drivers who let 'em dangle.

"I would think that lawmakers have better things to do," says Kemp, of Port Orange. "I guess next thing we'll be legislating cover-ups for farm animals and household pets."

He'd better be careful, because Sen. Carey Baker just might take him up on that. Baker, a Republican from Eustis, proposed the fine as part of a transportation bill, which is now moving to the House for a vote.

Kemp's not worried. "Two years ago in Maryland, they tried to pass a law, and it never came up for a vote," he says. "Six months ago in the Virginia legislature, it was the same thing."

Not that shrinkage isn't of slight concern. The modern marketplace is flooded with phony fun sacks, and not all the makers are as tasteful as Kemp. "There are a few competitors, like Bulls Balls (slogan: Made To Swing)," says Kemp. "They're bigger and they have veins in them. I don't do that."