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NEW YORK - Let the bidding begin for racing's dream matchup: undefeated U.S. thoroughbred racing Triple Crown contender Big Brown against Horse of the Year Curlin.

The showdown gets a boost if Big Brown wins the Belmont Stakes on Saturday and sweeps the Triple Crown.

Suffolk Downs is offering a US$5-million purse for the Massachusetts Handicap if Big Brown wins the Triple Crown and both he and Curlin go undefeated and start in the race against each other.

The 1 1-8-mile race, to be run Sept. 20, currently carries a $500,000 purse.

The offer had no appeal for Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who is focused on the Belmont and the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 23.

"We're not going to use this horse for stuff like that," Dutrow said. "We're going to run him in the Belmont and hopefully we can get him to the Travers."

Dutrow's hopes to take Big Brown to the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita. Curlin is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup, possibly leading to the first showdown of the star horses.

"I hope they meet there and then, that's what everybody in racing wants and we're heading right in that direction," Dutrow said. "That's where we want to be."

There have also been rumours of other tracks sweetening purses to lure racing's two biggest stars. A possible match race has been bantered about.

"These other things mean nothing," Dutrow said. "The Travers means something. The Breeders' Cup Classic means something. The other races are just about money. Me and the owners never got into this game for the money. I don't know what they're talking about up in Boston."

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JOHNNY V NEEDS HELP: John Velazquez won last year's Belmont aboard Rags to Riches, the filly who beat Curlin by a head at the end of a thrilling stretch drive.

Velazquez hopes for a repeat with Ready's Echo, a drop-back closer. Since he can't control his fate in the early stages, Velazquez can only hope another jockey forces Big Brown into running too fast, too soon.

"Obviously, the favourite looks awfully tough, but anything can happen," Velazquez. "If anything happens in front of me, my horse will be coming off the pace. Maybe I'll be the one to spoil the Triple Crown."

Velazquez hopes the 1 1/2 miles Belmont distance will be a hurdle that stops Big Brown.

"It's a mile-and-a-half and anything can happen," Velazquez said. "I'm hoping my horse's style will suit the mile-and-a-half better than the others ones.

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BARCLAY HUMOUR: Barclay Tagg, trainer of Tale of Ekati in the Belmont, has a reputation as a backstretch curmudgeon.

He also has a humorous streak.

Tagg, whose Funny Cide lost a Triple Crown bid in the 2003 Belmont, used a Dutrow trademark line when asked about his horse's chances on Saturday.

"We're all in, babe," Tagg said.

Tale of Ekati is owned by diamond miner Charles Fipke, a native of Edmonton now residing in Kelowna, B.C.

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A GOOD CAUSE: The Triple Crown partnership between the leading jockeys and NetJets Inc. will generate $727,000 for four thoroughbred industry charities at the conclusion of the Belmont.

Under the agreement, the riders throughout the series wore a NetJets logo on their pants with the promotional fees donated to charity. In the Belmont, nine of the 10 riders will participate. Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown's rider, has a separate advertising agreement with the Hooters restaurant chain.

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ON THE LINE: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will stage a protest outside Belmont Park on Saturday.

PETA will call for bans on whipping horses, racing on hard surfaces, the use of illegal drugs, racing young horses and the administration of steroids to Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown.

Motivated by the death of the filly Eight Belles at the conclusion of the Kentucky Derby, PETA staged a similar protest outside Pimlico on Preakness Day that attracted about two dozen supporters.