The racetrack known as Old Hilltop has long been a safe space for the trainer Bob Baffert. Eight times he has come to Baltimore with a horse fast enough to leave with the blanket of black-eyed Susans that are draped over the withers of the Preakness Stakes winner. The green stakes barn with white trim is a friendly bunker for Baffert. It houses all the horses competing in the second leg of the Triple Crown and is the daylight-to-dusk hub for those who care for them. There are familiar faces, like Baffert’s mentor and friend D. Wayne Lukas, 88, who wears a Stetson better than anyone this side of John Wayne.

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Persons: Bob Baffert, D, Wayne Lukas, Stetson, John Wayne, Ken McPeek, Mystik Dan Organizations: Triple Crown, Kentucky Derby Locations: Baltimore