May 29 - Despite a scare last week after Triple Crown contender, Big Brown, was diagnosed with a crack in his left front foot, the 3-year-old colt underwent an good training session yesterday morning, putting paid to speculation that he would be pulled from the Belmont Stakes.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner galloped a solid 1 1/8 miles at Long Island's Belmont Park race track, to the relief of his connections as well as horse racing fans throughout the world. The training session was Big Brown's first real workout since the crack was discovered on his foot last week Friday.

Big Brown is garnering support from punters all over the world who are hoping that the colt will win the Belmont Stakes come June 7th, and in doing so become the first Triple Crown winner in 20 years. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978.

After yesterday's 9:10 am training session at, Big Brown's exercise rider, Michelle Nevin, reported that Big Brown felt the same to her as he has been throughout this year's prestigious Triple Crown series.

'On the track he was bouncing a little bit, so I didn't want him to try to do too much or be too strong. After a rough first furlong, he soon settled down into his old self, relaxed and let go a little bit. Big Brown doesn't feel like a horse that has just run two big back to back races,' said Nevin.

Ian McKinlay, Big Brown's hoof lameness specialist, examined the colts' foot briefly on Wednesday morning but did not do any work on it as the injury seems to be healing well enough on its own. On Monday McKinlay treated Big Brown's foot with stainless steel sutures to help draw the crack together.