Kent Desormeaux rides Big Brown to victory during the 134th Kentucky Derby in April. AP File Photo.

NEW YORK — Kent Desormeaux is sitting on the brink of greatness one more time.

The Hall of Fame jockey hopes this will be the rare instance when the sequel is better than the original.

“I never dreamed I could get another chance at this,” Desormeaux said. “Now all of it is like a daydream, a movie.”

Ten years after failing in the Belmont Stakes with the kind of race that could define a career, Desormeaux gets his Triple Crown do-over.

Desormeaux vows he’ll end the Belmont aboard Big Brown the way he should have ended the race 10 years ago with Real Quiet: With a blanket of white carnations in the winner’s circle and a Triple Crown.

This time, Desormeaux has a better feel for the pressures and expectations that go into Saturday’s race. Aboard Real Quiet, Desormeaux simply lived for the moment and wanted to have fun in a marquee race — but he lost by a nose.

Not now. Not this time. A career that bounced the jockey around the globe searching in vain for that second chance hardened him and a family crisis that put his flop in perspective matured him.

“Now, I’m relishing it a whole lot more and understanding the historic importance,” Desormeaux said.

No matter where he rides, Desormeaux can’t escape the memory of the heartbreak at the end of the 1998 Belmont. He’s been asked about the finish all month by reporters, and even a moment that should have been a time to celebrate brought a video reminder. Desormeaux sat on the dais for Wednesday’s Belmont draw as a replay of the finish of the ’98 race played behind him. Like always, Real Quiet lost.

“I want to put closure on the Real Quiet situation,” Desormeaux said.

Desormeaux and trainer Bob Baffert believed they had the horse that could win the 12th Triple Crown and earn racing greatness. They led Real Quiet to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and a victory in the Belmont seemed inevitable.

Sound familiar so far?

Real Quiet burst out of the gate at that fateful Belmont and onto the 11⁄2-mile track to take a commanding six-length lead. Then the horse they called “The Fish” flopped. Victory Gallop wore out Real Quiet down a surprising stretch run and won by a nose in a photo finish.

Desormeaux still second guesses the way he ran the race.

“Instead of asking him for an explosive run, I would have asked him to just ease into a better stride,” Desormeaux said.

Even worse, the stewards said they were prepared to disqualify Real Quiet because Desormeaux tried to swerve the colt into Victory Gallop’s path.

“The only reason Real Quiet got beat was because he didn’t see the horse coming,” Desormeaux said. “He wasn’t tired, he was just gawking on the lead. I know that for certain because when we hit the wire, it was the first time Real Quiet saw Victory Gallop. In three jumps, I was a length in front.”

Gary Stevens, who fell a Belmont victory short of the Triple Crown aboard Silver Charm in ’97, won the third jewel on Victory Gallop. Stevens said Real Quiet finished second because the colt lost focus over that extra half mile that has tripped up even the greatest of horses (Hello, Smarty Jones). Stevens doesn’t expect Big Brown to fall victim to a similar behavior deficiency on Saturday.

“I don’t see this horse beating himself and I don’t see this horse getting beat because of jockey error,” Stevens said. “I’m not as bold as Rick Dutrow to say it’s a foregone conclusion because anything can happen. But if nothing does happen, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Dutrow has seemingly taken the pressure and focus off Desormeaux with his daily boasts that Big Brown will win the Triple Crown. While some industry insiders take offense, Desormeaux gets a kick out of the predictions.

“I love it. I think it’s awesome for me,” Desormeaux said. “The confidence he exudes just filters into me. I don’t have to say any of those things. But I really feel that way inside. Now we’ve got to let Big Brown do it.”

Desormeaux won a second Kentucky Derby aboard Fusaichi Pegasus two years after Real Quiet’s ride. But a cocky attitude quickly wore out its welcome in California. He globetrotted from Japan to New York looking for another chance, a second shot at proving he could win as a humble, grateful jockey.

Desormeaux’s professional disappointments aboard topflight mounts have been a blip compared to the personal hardships in his family.

His youngest son Jacob was born with Usher syndrome, a genetic disorder that stole his hearing at birth and is slowly robbing him of his sight. There is no known cure and 9-year-old Jacob will likely be blind by adulthood.

Jacob took a ride on some friend’s shoulders at the Preakness and begged his mother to buy Big Brown. Sorry, the colt’s already been sold. But winning this one for his family would be absolutely priceless.

“I want to be able to say, ’at the end of the day, we saw it,”’ Desormeaux said. “The Kentucky Derby, the Belmont, the Triple Crown, it’s a big, big deal. There’s a bigger deal at home.”

No matter where he is, Desormeaux daydreams about winning the Triple Crown. He imagines how he will ride Big Brown if they get pressed against the rail or if the colt breaks free from the pack. Desormeaux wonders how track announcer Tom Durkin will call the race if Big Brown is first to the wire and takes the Triple Crown.

“I know how bad he really wants the chance to try it again,” said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. “If he tells you he’s not nervous, he’s lying.”

Desormeaux was interrupted at the draw by a UPS driver who had a special delivery for him. There was a basket of red apples for Big Brown and an oversized card from the employees, “wishing you the Triple Crown.”

Cheesy perhaps, but Desormeaux loved the message. He’s wants to put the stamp on a great career on Saturday and prove the failure of a decade ago will not be repeated.

“This is the world to me,” Desormeaux said. “To never be forgotten are some powerful, powerful words.”