The year was 1964 and the late Jack Murphy, the sports editor of the San Diego Union, the best traveling companion I ever had, and I were out at the Downs the day before the Kentucky Derby. We were trying to figure who the winner of the sixth race would be, but we couldn’t agree.

While the horses are always the stars of the Kentucky Derby, the trainers are often the stars of race week. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has helped produce six Derby winners—m