LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Three eggs washed down by a quick pint of Guinness may not be the standard breakfast of champions.

But trainer Michael Dickinson hopes the mixture will help fuel his runner Tapit to victory in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

If you are what you eat, then Tapit's diet and fondness for a pint might label him more of a plough horse than an 8-1 choice for the Run for the Roses.

But Dickinson, known to some as the "Mad Genius," makes no apologies for his unconventional menu or unorthodox approach to a sport firmly rooted in tradition.

Dickinson, 54, explained: "Guinness is made with the best malt and barley. It both whets his appetite and provides nutrients.

"I'm just trying to make life better for the horses and repay them for what they've given to me.

"They don't do this for the cups or the millions of dollars, they do it because they love it."

While Saturday will be Dickinson's first tilt at the Kentucky Derby, the Englishman is no stranger to the winner's circle on the other side of the Atlantic.

Well known initially in steeplechase circles, Dickinson registered 378 victories, including five Cheltenham Festival winners, in a 10-year career as a rider.

After an injury forced him from the sport as a jockey, Dickinson made a seamless transition to training.

In 1982 he set a world record for the number of victories by in a single day with 12 winners and the following year he saddled the first five finishers in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

While still a noted figure on the English scene, Dickinson, seeking new challenges, made the leap to America in 1987.

A perfectionist, a determined Dickinson established himself a successful if quirky trainer, with highlights including victories by Da Hoss in the Breeders' Cup Mile in 1996 and again in 1998.

It was also in 1998 that he set up the Tapeta Farm training facility near Chesapeake Bay, transforming the 200-acre establishment into a sort of equine Club Med.

Horses at Tapeta enjoy a pampered life, with everything from luxury stalls to drinking only spring-fed well-water.

Even while in Kentucky, Dickinson has shipped sod from the farm so Tapit can graze on home-grown Maryland grasses.

Dickinson's approach has paid off in results, including Tapit securing an impressive win the Wood Memorial earlier this year to underline his Derby credentials.

"The plan is to have him at his peak on Derby day," said Dickinson. "He's got to be a healthy horse on Saturday afternoon."

If so, the beer-drinking, egg-loving, silver-grey, colt could win by head.