It is difficult to separate a horse from his connections. Especially when those connections are brash, arrogant and, to put it mildly, just a tad bit shady.

That is why I am having so much trouble figuring out what to do during the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Big Brown will step into the starting gate with a chance to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed did it 30 years ago.

As much as I want to see a horse win the Triple Crown, every time I think of Big Brown, I hear the cocky predictions from his trainer, I see his dubious owners and I remember he is a corporate shill for UPS.

Nothing warm and fuzzy about this story. You can say root for the horse, but let’s face it: Big Brown has no idea what the Triple Crown is. Since we can’t get anything straight out of this horse’s mouth, we have to rely on the mouths of the people around him.

That has not gone well for Big Brown in some circles. Message boards on horse racing Web sites are filled with posters who are rooting against Big Brown simply because of trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., who has served several suspensions ranging from his own drug use to illegally drugging his horses.

Dutrow also admits to giving Big Brown the steroid Winstrol, which is legal in the states that hold the Triple Crown races but banned in 10 others unless it is being used for therapeutic purposes.

Granted, Dutrow is not the only trainer who gives his horses drugs, nor is he the only one who has been suspended.

But combine that with the bold statements he has made about his horse, and you get a pretty unlikable guy. His victory predictions have rubbed many the wrong way.

His latest: It is a “foregone conclusion” that Big Brown will win on Saturday-even though the horse is working through a quarter crack in his left front hoof.

“I know there’s some people out there that think the wrong way of me. That’s fine,” Dutrow said on a conference call a few days ago. “But if anyone out there that is not rooting for Big Brown, if they were to meet the horse, I’m sure they would root for him.”

Then we have co-owner Michael Iavarone, who lied about a previous job as an investment banker and was fined and suspended for making unauthorized trades. There is something unsettling about him and co-owner Richard Schiavo and their plans to raise $100 million for an equine hedge fund.

But I guess Big Brown is all about big business. That makes him less loveable to me.

Let us remember 10 summers ago, when the nation rooted for two imperfect men chasing that elusive single-season home run record.

Two men who were cheered because fans wanted to see history, even though those big numbers seemed awfully suspicious.

I never rooted for McGwire or Sosa.

I am not sure I want to root for Big Brown, either.