NEW YORK — A horseplayer since his teens while growing up in London, Richard C. Pell could be on the verge of the greatest score of his life: winning the Belmont Stakes.

Just two years after buying his first thoroughbreds, Pell is the proud owner of Fly Down, the Dwyer Stakes winner who is the 9-2 third betting choice for Saturday's $1 million Belmont.

"It's absolutely unbelievable," said the 55-year-old Pell, chief investment officer for a New York-based asset management company. "You hope you get to the races and win some nice ones, but with my first crops of horses to have one in the Belmont?"

That's where Nick Zito entered the picture. The first time Pell saw Zito, it was two years ago outside the racing office at Belmont. He asked the Hall of Famer if he would train his horses one day. Of course, Pell didn't own any at the time.

"He looked at me very quizzically, gave me his number and said, Call my barn.'" Zito didn't return numerous calls until Pell finally got word to him that he was ready to spend $1 million.

That worked. Quickly. Zito went to the 2008 Keeneland sales and one of the eight horses he picked out for Pell was Fly Down, a son of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft who sold for $80,000.

"It's working out pretty well," said Pell, a New Yorker who eventually returned to the United States, graduated from Cal-Berkeley, got his MBA at NYU and has been a money manager for more than 20 years.

"I figured the money I put into racing was flushing it right down the toilet," Pell said. "But Nick says to me, 'All we need is one good horse, Rich.' And if Fly Down turns out to be as good as he might be, I actually will be making money — and having fun."

Before enrolling at NYU, Pell also was a private investigator and a poker player.

"The whole exercise worked out well," he said. "It gave me a background to be a money manager, and now I have a great adventure outside work."

Zito also has the Belmont favorite in 3-1 choice Ice Box, giving the trainer two of the three top picks in a race he has won twice with long shots — Birdstone in 2004 at odds of 36-1 and Da' Tara in 2008 at odds of 38-1.

"Obviously, there's more pressure, anxiety," he said of his favorite's role. "On the other hand, if they run well, you have to be content."

A field of 12 was entered Wednesday for a Belmont that will be run without Derby winner Super Saver or Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky.

"Nick's going to be tough to beat," said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who will try with 10-1 choice Uptowncharlybrown. "But we feel good about our horse. He's ready."