When John Servis was growing up in Philadelphia, he experienced a recurring dream. He pictured himself in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs, having won the Kentucky Derby as a trainer.

As Richard Mandella reflected in 2017 on his magnificent training career, he said that he drew greater motivation from fear of failure than aspirations of greatness.

“I never had any great dreams about what it actually became. Hall of Fame and all of that, it never entered my mind,” he said. “I just wanted to be some kind of success.”