LEXINGTON, Ky. — On Wednesday afternoon, after steady rain had pelted the Keeneland racecourse for several days, the trainer Bob Baffert and his team left Barn 62, where the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was under the careful watch of the National Guard, to see what condition the racetrack was in.
They hopped fences and climbed hills, determined to get a feel for what their champion colt was up against during morning training. As they walked, they made small talk — about Baffert’s flat tire earlier in the morning, about what they might find when they reached the top.